Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Fox's Peter Pan and t
by Nightwings81
Summary: When Alvin announces that he never wants to grow up, Peter Pan arrives to take him, Simon, Theodore, and the chipettes to Neverland. When Captain Hook kidnaps Alvin and Brittany, only a magical battle of the bands may save them.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Chipettes, David Seville, Miss Miller, or any of the J.M Barrie characters as portrayed by Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates. This is a work of fiction meant solely for enjoyment and not financial gain. The character of Harmony is of my own invention. All ratings are highly appreciated.

Chapter 1:

"David, thanks again for watching the girls while I'm on my retreat!"

"It's our pleasure, Miss Miller." David Seville smiled at the three young chipettes standing on his porch beside his own three adopted sons. "Hope you have a good time in…where was you said you were going again?"

"The Bahamas…ooh, this is going to be so nice. I get to work on my tan. Bye girls…be good and have a fun time!" The plump, gray-haired lady bounced down the steps, waving over her shoulder, and climbed into a wild pink convertible. With a quick check of her hair in the rear-view mirror and a blown kiss to the girls, she hit the gas and sped away in a loud squeal of tires.

"Bye Miss Miller!" the chipettes chorused, waving.

"Well, I sure hope she has a good time," Jeanette murmured. She looked a little sad to see their guardian disappearing down the road.

"Oh please!" her sister, Brittany, huffed. "How much fun can she have without us there? I still can't believe she's going to the Bahamas without us!"

"It's a seniors retreat, Brittany," Eleanor pointed out. "She'll probably be playing shuffleboard and bridge…"

"Not Miss Miller," Simon Seville cut in. "Knowing her, she'll be surfing and scuba diving as soon as her plane lands."

Dave laughed. "Maybe she'll even try bungee jumping." All seven winced at the thought. "Well, whatever she does, I hope she'll have fun. And we'll have a good time this week too." He clapped his hands together. "Why don't you girls come inside and get settled. Boys, will you help the girls with their bags?"

"Yes Dave."

Simon and Theodore took Jeanette and Eleanor's suitcases inside, leaving their brother Alvin to stare at the mountain of belongings Brittany had packed.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said, blue eyes wide. "Brittany, did you leave anything at home?"

Brittany scoffed. "Don't be silly, Alvin. These are just the bare essentials."

"Bare essentials?" Alvin was rooting through the pile and groaned as he tried to lift a suitcase. "What's in this thing! Bricks!"

"That's my makeup. Don't drop it." With those instructions, she sauntered inside, leaving the young chipmunk glowering at her back.

An hour later, Alvin finally limped into the living room, holding a stitch in his side and favoring a strained muscle in his shoulder. The others were all gathered around the tv, watching a special presentation of Mary Martin in Peter Pan. With a moan, Alvin levered himself onto the sofa between Eleanor and Simon and helped himself to popcorn.

"Aww, I just love this movie," Jeanette was saying. She clasped her hands to her chest and sighed. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to fly?"

"You'd think they could find someone better for the lead," Brittany murmured. "I mean, a woman?"

"You're supposed to use your imagination, Brittany," Eleanor told her.

"Whatever. They could have at least found someone cute…and dashing."

"Like me?" Alvin asked hopefully.

Brittany gave him a withering look. "You wish. Did you get all my things inside yet?"

"Oh yes. Everything's already upstairs and waiting for you." The young chipmunk in red batted his eyes innocently, then turned and nudged Simon in the ribs. "Wait till tonight when she wants to go to bed and finds the suitcase with all her pajamas at the bottom of the pile."

"Hey kids, dinner's ready!" Dave called from the kitchen. "Turn off the movie and come and get it."

The six chipmunks scrambled from the living room to the kitchen, Alvin and Brittany racing for the spot that was Alvin's usual seat. Alvin beat her and sat down, sticking his tongue out as Brittany crossed her arms indignantly. There was no more room for her or Eleanor on the bench seats surrounding the back of the table.

"Sorry, guys. A couple of you will have to make do with these." Dave appeared with two folding chairs. He set them up on the outside of the table. "Boys, why don't we let our guests have the good seats?" Dave looked primarily at Alvin, who pulled his tongue back into his mouth and sighed.

"Alright," he said, sliding out of his seat. Brittany brightened and started to move forward, but Alvin suddenly shifted and blocked her. "Here you go, Eleanor. You can sit here." He bowed gallantly as the chubby little blonde chippette sat down, then looked up at Brittany with a wicked grin. "Oh, I'm sorry, Brittany. I didn't see you there."

Brittany scowled, but graciously accepted the cushioned seat Simon offered her, pushing down on the top of Alvin's head as he straightened from his bow and throwing him off balance. He scrambled to catch his footing, both hands reaching up to hold his red cap in place. The two glared at one another across the table for the entire meal, causing their siblings to exchange worried glances. The chipettes were going to be visiting for two whole weeks, and that time would be miserable if Alvin and Brittany couldn't get along.

"We're going to have to think of some way to keep the peace around here," Simon murmured to Theodore, who nodded worriedly around a mouthful of Dave's vegetarian lasagna.

"I'm really strapped for time to finish that new song," Dave said as soon as dinner was finished. "So I hope you kids can entertain yourselves tonight. I'll be in my studio if you really need me…" He glanced at his watch. "Oh no, I don't know how I'm going to get it done in time. Would you kids mind cleaning up in here?"

"Don't worry, Dave. We'll handle it," Simon told him.

"I think we should all play a game tonight," Eleanor announced a few minutes later. She and Theodore were carrying the dirty dishes to the sink, where Alvin and Jeanette were busy washing and drying them. Simon and Brittany wiped down the table. "If Dave is working on a song, he'll probably want us to be pretty quiet, right?"

Simon, Theodore, and Alvin glanced guiltily at one another, thinking of the many times Dave had been busy with a deadline, only to be interrupted constantly by their antics.

"Sure," they readily agreed, and Theodore took Eleanor upstairs to find a game while the older four finished the tidying up. By the time the kitchen was spic and span, they had spread out the board on the living room floor and divided the pieces into three teams. Theodore and Eleanor were already sitting together on Dave's armchair, and Simon and Jeanette quickly took seats on the sofa, leaving two pillows on the floor for Alvin and Brittany.

The two looked at the cushions, then at one another, then at the knowing smiles on the faces of their siblings.

"We're playing teams," Simon announced. "So if you two want to win, you have to get along and cooperate with each other."

Alvin flopped down on the floor. "Looks like we don't have a choice," he said to Brittany, patting the cushion beside him.

"Traitors," Brittany hissed to her sisters. She reluctantly took the seat beside Alvin, who, after a meaningful glare from Simon, stuck out his hand to her.

"Truce?"

"Truce. But if we lose, it's your fault."

"This is jinxed," Alvin griped, shaking the dice in his hand and tossing them onto the board. As soon as the little cubes stopped rolling, Brittany moved their piece.

"…four, five, six, seven, eight… Alvin!"

"It's not my fault! I told you this game is rigged!"

"That's Pennsylvania Avenue with hotel…pay up!" Eleanor crowed.

"Aww nuts!" Alvin handed over the rest of their money and all the mortgaged properties and Brittany flicked their little car token off the board with a fingernail.

"Bankrupt. Figures. That's what I get for relying on Alvin's business sense."

"My business sense! Who said it was a good idea to buy the utilities? I wanted the railroads!"

"You also bought the purples! Nobody makes any money on the purples!"

Alvin shrugged. "I know…they just looked so lonely still sitting there…"

"Augh!" Brittany threw up her hands in disgust and whirled around on her cushion. Grabbing the remote control, she flipped on the television, which was showing an encore performance of Peter Pan. Annoyed with the game that was still going on behind her, she slumped down and stared dejectedly at the screen. After a few minutes, Alvin turned to watch also, drawn by the sword fighting between Peter and Captain Hook.

"I'll bet I could do that," he said, standing and swishing his arm through the air, a pretend sword clutched in his fist. "Take that! And that! You'll never take me alive, Captain Codfish!"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Alvin. Captain Hook would turn you into crocodile food. You couldn't fight a fairy."

Alvin stopped short and faced the girl. "Oh yeah? And you think you could do better?"

Standing, Brittany grabbed a blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders in a cape. Then she pulled an umbrella from the stand in the hall and squared off before Alvin, the point level with his chest.

"Brittany the Brave can beat any pirate, any day. En Garde!"

She slashed at Alvin, who dodged with a grace and skill learned from years of dancing on stage. He leapt across the living room, causing shouts of protest from the others when he stepped in the middle of the board game. From the hall closet, he collected a plastic coat hanger and a cane left by Grandpa Seville. Pulling his red cap down over one eye, he snarled, "One-eyed Alvin takes that challenge. You'll walk the plank, Missy!"

"Missy! I'll show you Missy!" Brittany slashed at Alvin, who parried with his cane and jumped on the coffee table. Holding the coat hanger in his left hand, he swiped the hooked end at Brittany, almost catching it in her ponytail.

"Alvin! Watch out!" Theodore exclaimed. Alvin's jumps were threatening to knock over the glasses of lemonade he'd brought in from the kitchen. The chubby little chipmunk grabbed the glasses before disaster struck and moved them to the relative safety of a bookshelf.

"Alvin, must you do that?" Simon asked with brittle patience. One of Alvin's leaps had bumped him and knocked his glasses into the popcorn bowl.

"Ah hahahaha!" Alvin cackled maniacally. "Slippery Simon thinks he can stop One-eyed Alvin, but he hasn't got a chance!" Alvin slashed the cane at his brother, who ducked, grabbed a cushion, and threw it with amazing accuracy. It struck Alvin in the face, knocking off his cap and causing him to trip at Brittany's feet.

"Silver-toothed Simon catches the notorious One-eyed Alvin with a cannonball, blasting the foul pirate into…"

"You just grazed me!" Alvin shouted, rolling on the floor to avoid a stab from Brittany's umbrella. He bumped up against Theodore, who helped him sit up. "Thank you, my trusty First Mate Teddy…grab your sword and help me run the villains through! And you, Pistol-packing Ellie!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" Eleanor saluted, rushing quickly up the stairs and returning from the boys' room with a toy gun belt from a western toy set. She tied the two pistols to her plump hips with a scarf and wound the red bandana over her blond hair. Snarling fiercely, she drew the weapons and faced Simon and Brittany.

"Does this mean the game's over?" Jeanette queried. She watched her siblings, then shrugged and flung an arm dramatically across her face. "Oh dear, oh dear! The pirates have sunk our ship and I, Princess Francesca Louisa Anella Marlena Sophia Drusilla Huffington, am caught on the dread Crossbones Isle…without a chaperone!" She threw herself across the sofa and pretended to sob.

"We'll take the princess hostage!" Eleanor said to Alvin. "Her royal father will pay a high ransom for her safe return!"

"Not if we get to her first!" Silver-tooth Simon announced. "I intend to make her my bride and inherit her kingdom!" He rushed Jeanette at the same time as Alvin, swinging a cushion to deflect the slash of cane and coat hanger. Alvin's "sword" went flying from his grasp, so he grabbed another pillow, swinging wide for Simon and hitting Brittany instead as she crept up behind him.

"Oomph!" she cried, flying backwards into Theodore. Though the more timid of the brothers, he had armed himself with one of the larger cushions and now he rolled over and pinned Brittany to the floor, while Eleanor tickled her into helpless convulsions. As they struggled, Simon and Alvin had engaged in a full blown pillow fight, whacking away at one another with the cushions over Jeanette, who moaned and lamented her fate. Finally, Simon dealt Alvin a blow that knocked the smaller chipmunk off his feet and into the bookshelf. He landed with a slightly dazed look and flinched as one of the lemonade glasses wobbled, then crashed to the floor inches from his outstretched hand.

"Do you yield?" Simon demanded, brandishing the pillow again.

Alvin held up his hands in supplication. "Okay, okay…you can have the princess…" His blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "…if you can say her name!"

Simon froze. "Uh…um…Princess Francesca Louisa…Onomatopoeia…"

Alvin grinned wickedly. "Ah ha! You lose, Silver-tooth Simon! The princess is mine!" He reached for the bookshelf to lever himself to his feet and found a hand instead. "Oh, thanks…uh…uh…hi, Dave?" He giggled nervously as his father pulled him to his feet, his face stern.

"Alvin. Simon. What is going on in here? It sounds like the house is crashing down around my ears."

"Sorry, Dave." Simon straightened his glasses guiltily.

"We were pirates!" Theodore announced, finally allowing Brittany up. She was gasping for breath, tears running down her cheeks from being tickled.

"You were loud is what you were. Who started this?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Five hands pointed straight at Alvin, who gasped indignantly.

"It wasn't just me! What about Brittany the Brave? And Silver-tooth Simon? And Princess Francesca Louisa Anella…" he faded off as Dave glared at him.

"It's getting late, kids. Why don't you clean up in here and then get to bed…and no more pirates in the house, okay?"

"Yes Dave," they chorused.

"I still have to work on this song, so try to do it quietly. Alvin, come with me."

Expecting a scolding, Alvin hung his head and followed Dave out of the room while the others started straightening out the cushions, picking up spilled popcorn, and putting away the scattered game.

"Pirates, eh, Alvin?" Dave asked once they were in the kitchen. He opened the broom cupboard and pulled out a broom, mop, and dustpan.

"Uh huh. One-eyed Alvin and his band of dashing buccaneers." Alvin launched into a tale of their adventures, including his arch nemesis Silver-toothed Simon and his partner Brittany the Brave.

"That sure is quite an imagination you've got, Alvin." Dave handed his son the broom and dustpan and led him back to the living room. "Sometimes I wonder if you'll be a writer when you grow up."

"Grow up? Ha!" Alvin bent to begin sweeping broken glass into the dustpan. "I'm in the prime of my life, Dave! I'm never gonna grow up!"

Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of the house, two sets of eyes had been watching the proceedings through the living room window for some time. Now, hearing exactly what they wanted to hear, the figures melted back into the darkness to await their time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

**Chapter 2:**

"Hear that, Tink? He's perfect!" The brown-clad boy floated into the air briefly and came to rest on a tree branch. Smiling brightly, he turned to the tiny, winged girl sitting on his shoulder. "This is the one we've been looking for."

"But Peter," Tinkerbell replied. "He's not even human. He's a…a…"

"Who cares? He'll be loads of fun. Oh, they're going upstairs. C'mon, let's go." The boy launched himself gracefully from the tree straight into the air. Instead of falling, as any child of earth would have down, he glided upwards and soared around the house, coming to hover directly outside the chipmunks' bedroom window. Peeking through the glass, he watched the trio change into pajamas and climb into their respective beds. The boys whispered to each other for a few minutes, until the grown-up—Peter shuddered at the thought—shouted at them to go to sleep. The light on the bedside table went out and the house fell silent.

"Peter!" Tinkerbell grabbed the end of Peter's short ponytail as the boy moved forward. "Are you sure about this? He's not even lost! And why do we even need a new Lost Boy? I think we have enough already!"

"You're wrong, Tink. Neverland is getting boring. We need some new blood." Peter reached over his shoulder and flicked the fairy, who tumbled backwards with a cry. By the time she'd righted herself, Peter was at the window, very gently and quietly prying it open. Sighing, the pixie rushed after her boy, slipping into the darkened room in a flurry of pale pink and blue wings.

"Look at this stuff," Peter whispered, looking around the bedroom. He picked up a soccer ball, tossed it aside, then selected a robot monster that groaned when he turned the key on its back. Startled, Peter shoved the toy under a pile of clothes and turned to the three boys sleeping in their beds. The youngest murmured in his sleep and rolled over, a teddy bear clutched to his chest. The eternal boy breathed a sigh of relief and tiptoed across the room to the middle bed. The young chipmunk was curled under a red and white checkered blanket, his red cap hanging from the bedpost. Peter and the fairy stared at him for a moment, then the boy nodded to Tinkerbell, who sighed and reached into a tiny blue pouch at her side.

"I don't know why I put up with you, Peter," she griped, throwing a handful of glittering dust onto the sleeping chipmunk. He wrinkled his nose briefly and turned onto his stomach. They waited. After a few seconds, the chipmunk started to float gently upwards, his blanket sliding from his limp body. He moved higher and higher, finally bumping the tip of his nose against the ceiling. Only then did his eyes drift wearily open.

"Enough, Theodore. The game's over," he murmured, turning. It took his sleepy mind a moment to register his distance from his bed, and then his eyes flew wide. Pinwheeling his arms rapidly, he managed to float into a sitting position.

"Yikes! How did I get up here! Simon! Simon, help!"

Peter launched himself to the ceiling, clapping a hand over Alvin's mouth, but not before Simon rolled over and reached for his glasses.

"Alvin, will you be quiet! You're going to wa—huh!" Simon blinked, took off his glasses and wiped the lenses, and looked up again. To his utter amazement, Alvin continued to float against the ceiling next to a strange human boy dressed in ragged brown clothes. "What in the…?"  
"Mmm mm!" Alvin said. Dipping his head away from the boy's hand, he added, "Who are you? Get me down from here!"

The boy looked slightly troubled to find Simon awake and watching him, then a bright smile lit up his face and he executed a perfect backflip in midair, just barely missing the ceiling fan.

"I'm Peter," he announced. "I've come to take you to Neverland."

Alvin crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "I'm dreaming," he

muttered.

"Then so am I," Simon admitted. He climbed out of his bed and onto Alvin's. Reaching it, he caught his brother by one ankle and tugged him down.

"Whoa!" Alvin cried, bouncing against the mattress and immediately floating up again. Simon grabbed both of his feet and pulled, but Alvin's momentum was stronger and lifted the tall chipmunk up onto his tiptoes. Peter laughed, hugging his sides and rolling in the air.

"Tink, this is great!"

"Tink?" Alvin struggled to straighten himself out again. "Tinkerbell?"

The tiny pixie showed herself finally, fluttering out from behind Peter and approaching the two chipmunks. Simon's mouth dropped open and he released Alvin's feet. Alvin shot upward, crashing into the ceiling with a loud thump.

"Ow! Simon!"

"Ooh, sorry!" Simon leapt up and dragged Alvin down again, holding him tightly by one ankle like a balloon. Peering myopically at Tinkerbell, he asked, "Did you do this?"

Tinkerbell laughed sweetly. "Guilty as charged, Simon."

"You know my name?"

"Uh huh. We've been watching you for a couple of days now. We know that you're Simon, he's Alvin …"

"And me! Do you know me?" Theodore jumped up from his bed where he'd been feigning sleep since Alvin's first outburst. His green eyes were wide with delight to see his brother and Peter floating in the room.

"You're Theodore."

"And you're Tinkerbell." Theodore held out a hand so the pixie could land. "Wow, you're a lot prettier than they show in the movies."

The pixie blushed and turned to Peter. "Oh, Peter, can we bring him instead?"

Peter was hovering with his legs crossed beneath him, looking slightly bored now. "Tink, we came to take Alvin …"

"Wait a minute," Simon interrupted. "Take Alvin where?"

"To Neverland, of course. To be one of my Lost Boys."

"Me?" Alvin was amazed and flattered. He was also starting to get the hang of flying and navigated himself towards Peter. "Really? You want me to come to Neverland? I'll get to see the mermaids and pirates and…" he paused, turning to look at Simon and Theodore, who looked rather dejected. "But what about Simon and Theodore? I…I couldn't go anywhere without them."

"Well, they can come too," Peter announced in a rare show of generosity. "Tink, fairy dust if you please."

"Kettles and copperpots, Peter, we can't take all three!"

"Why not? It'll be fun!"

"But…but…when they turn up missing…"

"Missing?" Alvin and Simon looked at one another. "Well…we'd be coming back, wouldn't we?" Simon temporized. "We could just go for one night and come back before anyone even noticed we were gone."

Peter raised his eyebrows at Tinkerbell, who sighed heavily again and dusted Simon and Theodore with her special pixie dust. "Now think of happy thoughts," she told them. Seconds later, both chipmunks were rising off the floor with gasps of delight.

"This is amazing!" Simon exclaimed. "It's like some anti-gravity compound that defeats the natural principle of atomic matter and…"

"And it makes you fly! Watch this!" Theodore, normally shy and reserved, leapt off his bed and soared across the room with his arms spread wide. "I'm an eagle!"

Not to be outdone, Alvin pushed off the floor and started spinning somersaults in midair. Around and around he went, moving in a faster and faster circuit until he became nothing but a bright blur of red and yellow pajamas. "Whoo hoo!" he cried, until Simon picked up a baseball bat and stuck it directly into the middle of another somersault. Alvin lost momentum and went careening over the bat and into the bottom of his bed, where he lay with his eyes spinning dizzily.

"That's great…" he slurred. Sitting up and shaking his head to clear it, he exclaimed, "We should show the girls!"

"Thimbles and skillets!" Tinkerbell cried. "No!"

"Yeah!" his brothers agreed, soaring to the door and peeking out. With no sign of Dave, they all slipped into the hallway, Tinkerbell fluttering to and fro, lamenting their decision.

In the guest bedroom down the hall, the chipettes were all sound asleep and completely unaware of the strange thing that had happened to their friends. Alvin flew into the room smoothly and drifted over to Brittany's bed. She was sleeping with a fuzzy pink face mask over her eyes—very carefully, Alvin lifted the mask from her face so the elastic was stretched taut.

"Oh Brittany!" he sang, and let the mask go. It snapped back against her face and Brittany let out a squeal, jumping up and thrashing blindly. Her squeal woke Jeanette and Eleanor, who let out cries of surprise when the three boys showed off by moonwalking across the room three feet above the floor.

"What in the world…?" Jeanette whispered. "That's…it's scientifically impossible."

Brittany finally managed to free herself from her eye mask and stared at the boys incredulously.

"I'm dreaming," she said. Then Peter flew into the room and landed at the foot of her bed. Brittany's heart skipped a beat as she stared into the boy's bright blue eyes. "And I like it." She scrambled to her knees, running her fingers through her messy, tousled hair. "Who are you?"

"I-i-it's Peter Pan!" Eleanor breathed.

Peter perfected an elaborate bow and lifted nimbly into the air. When Jeanette turned on the light beside her bed, all the children finally got a good look at the strange boy who had flown through their window in the dead of the night. He was dressed in ragged brown shorts and a tight fitted shirt of the same color, but had a short, soft cape hung about his narrow shoulders. On his feet were ankle high boots, one of which was strapped with a sheath for a small dagger. His dark brown hair was curly and wild and pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head. His eyes were cornflower blue, rakish and daring and just a little bit crazy. A tiny woman dressed in a cute pink dress and pink booties stood on his shoulder. She wore a flower as a hat over her bright orangey-red hair and had two pink and blue wings sprouting from her shoulders. The chipettes were enchanted.

"He's come to take us to Neverland," Theodore announced, flying over to land beside Eleanor. He tried to sit on her bed, but continued to hover a couple of inches above the mattress. Eleanor couldn't help herself and pressed up and down on his head, dribbling him like a basketball. She giggled.

"I want to fly too? Can you make me?"

"And me!" Jeanette exclaimed. "Please! Please! I've always wanted to fly!"

"Tink?"

"No! Peter, this is getting way out of hand. Six! We can't take six to Neverland! We've never…"  
"Oh, c'mon, Tink. We've never brought chipmunks to Neverland either. It'll be a great adventure! Think of all the stories they could tell!"

Tinkerbell fluttered back and forth, muttering incoherently to herself. The chipmunks and chipettes watched her, their heads bouncing as though viewing a tennis match. Finally, Brittany heard the words, "three more Wendys," and perked up.

"Oh, I get it…she's jealous!"

Tinkerbell stopped pacing immediately. "Jealous?" she demanded.

"Uh huh…you're jealous that Peter will pay more attention to us than to you." The chipette turned and fluttered her eyelashes at Peter, who grinned back, much to Tinkerbell's annoyance. "Of course, if you're feeling that insecure…"

"I'll show you insecure!" Tinkerbell flew to each of the girls in turn and dusted them liberally with her pixie dust. They all started to float, with cries of delight. Jeanette flapped her arms experimentally, rising high enough to bump her head on the ceiling. Eleanor swam through the air to pull her down. Giggling, Brittany grabbed Alvin's hands and whirled around three feet off the floor.

"This is awesome!" she exclaimed. Alvin clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Not so loud…we don't want to wake up Dave."

"So, does this mean we can go too?" Jeanette asked. "We get to go to Neverland and see the mermaids and the pixies?"

"When?" Eleanor wanted to know.

"Now!" Peter flew to the window and pushed it open, revealing a crystal clear night. "Ladies first," he said, using some of the gallantry learned from Wendy. Giggling, the chipettes shot through the window, followed closely by Simon and Theodore.

"Wait!" Alvin whirled and flew back through the house. A moment later he returned, wearing his signature red cap. "Can't go without this," he told them, slipping outside. Peter came last, closing the window behind him, but leaving it open just a crack. Theodore turned to watch him, a look of worry on his face.

"We will be coming back, right?" he asked tremulously. Alvin swooped up beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Of course," he soothed. "We'll only go for a little while. We could never leave Dave."

"Come on!" Peter called, silhouetted against the moon. He waved an arm and the six young chipmunks hurried to follow him past the second star on the right and straight on till morning.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the songs used in this chapter. All credit for ther production goes to their original writers and performers.

Chapter 3:

"Wendy, when's Peter s'posed to get back?"

"Soon, Michael." Wendy Darling flew up to the ceiling of the underground house and helped straighten the banner the Lost Boys were struggling to hang. It read Welcome! in bright blue letters. "You know he's gone to get our new Lost Boy."

"I wish we could have gone with him," Slightly griped. "What do we need a new boy for anyway? The last time didn't slightly go well."

"I remember…Peter had to fly so far to find a child that he forgot who he was," Nibs said. "That wasn't good at all."

Curly and the twins were busy making a cake with lots of blue and green frosting and Neverberries decorating the top. Wendy's other brother, John, was hanging streamers with Toodles. They glanced at one another.

"Well, hopefully that won't happen this time," John mused.

"Well, if it does, we know how to fix it," Wendy told them. "Don't worry, everyone. This'll be fun…and we'll all have a new friend to play with."

A loud, shrill crowing startled them all.

"It's Peter!" Nibs said, crookedly hanging the banner in his hurry to finish. "He's back!"

"This is slightly exciting!"

All the children looked expectantly towards the opening in the tree trunk. A second later, Peter Pan appeared, crowing loudly, and performed a somersault in the air.

"Ta da!" he shouted. "I'm back! And see who I brought with me!"

"Whoa!" A blur of red and gold tumbled through the hole and landed in a heap on the floor. It was followed quickly by a blur in blue, one of green, and a fourth in pink. The first newcomer groaned as each body landed atop him. Lastly came two more children, slower this time. They waited on the lip of the entranceway, looking around timidly.

"Simon…your foot is in my eye!"

"Well, Theodore's sitting on my arm…"

"Brittany's on my legs!"

The boy in red gave a massive shove and finally managed to free himself. The others tumbled over, still tangled, as he stood and dusted himself off. His blue eyes widened as he looked around.

"This is amazing!" he exclaimed.

Wendy and the Lost Boys stared. This new boy was definitely stranger than the last.

"Hi," he said brightly. "I'm Alvin."

"This is slightly strange," Slightly murmured. "What are you?"

"Me? I'm a chipmunk."

The kids exchanged glances. Peter had never brought them a chipmunk before. Now he had brought not one, but six! The other three had managed to untangle themselves and were standing just behind Alvin , looking around in awe.

Finally, Wendy stepped forward and held out her hands. "Well, welcome to Neverland, Alvin…and, um…"

"Oh, these are my brothers, Simon and Theodore. We're the Chipmunks!" Alvin waited expectantly, but the Lost Boys just continued to stare. "That's…uh…we're a famous rock band back on earth."

"What's a rock band?" Michael wanted to know.

While Alvin blinked in confusion, Simon stepped forward and introduced the chipettes. Eleanor and Jeanette slipped down from the entrance hole and waved shyly.

"How can they not know what a rock band is?" Alvin asked Brittany out of the corner of his mouth. Brittany eyed the Neverland children carefully before replying, "I think they came from a time before rock music."

Alvin shuddered and wished he'd remembered to bring his harmonica or one of his guitars. Then a thought occurred to him and he grinned. Turning to Brittany, he whispered in her ear. A smile spread across her lips as well and she nodded. Quickly, they huddled with the other chipmunks for a moment before spreading out in a v-formation and raising their arms. While Simon, Theodore, Eleanor, and Jeanette crooned a high, lilting harmony, Alvin and Brittany sang acapella:

"_Somewhere out there_

_Beneath the pale moon light_

_Someone's thinkin' of me_

_And loving me tonight,"_

Their voices were sweet and perfectly harmonious, delighting the Lost Boys and Wendy and even bringing a smile out on Peter's lips. Tinkerbell, who had vanished into a small flower-shaped house upon their arrival, peeped through the curtains with a rapt look in her large eyes.

Finished with the slow and sweet "Somewhere Out There" the chipmunks immediately went into an acapella rendition of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". Alvin and Brittany, singing the leads, swayed back and forth animatedly and drew a long applause, to which they bowed deeply.

"_That's_ what a rock band does," Alvin announced.

"That was wonderful!" Wendy exclaimed. "You must know so many songs…in fact…!" The girl turned to Peter and began whispering in his ear.

"That's a wonderful idea! We'll have Neverland's first rock back and you chipmunks can teach everybody what to do!"

"Us? Teach?" Alvin and Brittany glanced at one another. Music came naturally to them and Dave had been training the chipmunks since they were very young to be musicians, but they had never really thought about being music teachers. As one, they both turned to Simon, the obvious choice.

"Simon?"

The blue clad chipmunk pushed his glasses up on his nose and shrugged. "I don't see why we couldn't…we don't have any instruments, but we could…make them?"

"Yeah," Jeanette agreed enthusiastically. "We can make pipes and drums at least."

"Or we could go to the Small Monday Island Fair and get instruments from the fairies," Nibs spoke up. "They make all kinds of things. I'm sure they could make anything you need."

"Yeah!" Michael exclaimed, tugging on Peter's sleeve. "Let's all go to the fair!"

So, just moments after they had arrived in Neverland, the chipmunks were flying through the air again to the tiny island where Tinkerbell's kin and the other little people of Neverland held their marvelous fair. As they flew, Alvin and the others were introduced to the Lost Boys.

The first was Nibs, Peter's second-in-command. He was a handsome boy with blond hair, slender, yet compact. He wore a bright red, sleeveless shirt and torn brown pants, and his hair was covered with a headdress made from the fur and ears of a small, golden bear.

After him came the tall, pale, gangly Slightly. He was also blond, his flaxen hair falling raggedly down his shoulders, and dressed in mismatched colors of green, brown, and blue. Over his hair he wore a hat made from a parrot's head, its eyes staring beadily. He was the tallest of the Lost Boys, and somewhat pompous.

Next was Curly, a cocoa-skinned boy with reddish-brown hair and a laughing disposition. He had a high voice and a ready smile, and was dressed in an outfit striped like a tiger, with a headdress that had clearly once been feline of nature. As they flew, he told jokes that only he seemed to understand, but his good nature was so infectious that the chipmunks liked him immediately.

After Curly were two boys who introduced themselves as the Twins, though they looked nothing alike. The taller boy was dark skinned and towered a full head over his diminutive partner, who was pale and red-haired, with a round nose. Both were dressed in shades of mustard yellow and brown, and wore spotted caps that might have come from some type of cat or bear.

A chubby, round-faced boy who reminded Alvin and Simon very much of Theodore was named Tootles. He wore ill-fitted overalls and had a hat like a panda bear. To complete the impression of a small, furry panda, he also had a dark spot over one eye. He was a littler shyer than the others, but seemed to take an instant liking to soft-spoken Jeanette, flying close to the myopic chipette and pointing out interesting parts of the landscape.

Wendy Darling, the group's "mother" was of middling height, with short dark hair and wore a pink dress that Brittany would have simply called "frumpy". She was a gentle spirit, warm and inviting and eager to get to know the chipmunks.

Her two younger brothers were John and Michael. Michael was clearly the baby of the family and enjoyed his roll immensely. He was a plump little boy with curly brown hair who clung close to his sister as they flew. The older brother, John, a short fellow dressed primly in green trousers, brown jacket and bowler hat, immediately came off as the local know-it-all.

Neverland was everything the chipmunks had ever imagined and more. The movies they had seen could not compare to the wonders laid out beneath them as they soared among the fluffy clouds. Simon eagerly pointed out the peninsula where the Indian encampment was located and the chipettes went into exclamations of delight when they saw the mermaid lagoon, until the Lost Boys warned them of the mermaids' peculiar attitudes towards anyone who was not Peter. Then Alvin, performing a loop-de-loop with a spiral twist, spotted something that immediately piqued his interest.

"Is that Hook's pirate ship?" he asked Curly, who was flying by his side.

"Uh huh…and it looks like Mr. Mullins and Billy Jukes are on duty." He pointed to two small figures moving about on the deck. "Mr. Mullins is—"

He was suddenly interrupted by a loud booming noise and a puff of white smoke appeared far below on the deck of the ship.

"What was that?" Theodore asked, but he was answered a second later by a large, black cannonball hurtling through the air towards them.

"Scatter!" Peter yelled, swooping wildly to evade the projectile. The Lost Boys all darted through the air nimbly, used to such happenings, but the chipmunks were new to Neverland and had never been shot at before. Theodore panicked and froze helplessly, watching the cannonball rush towards him with wide green eyes.

"Theodore's in trouble!" Simon cried. At Peter's command, the twins had each grabbed one of the chipmunk's arms and pulled him down to safety. Now he struggled to get loose to help his baby brother. Alvin, who had flown upwards to avoid the cannonball, was likewise trying to free himself from Nibs and Curly, screaming at Theodore to move.

Suddenly, a streak of green and gold shot at Theodore from the right, just as a streak of brown went at him from the left. Eleanor grabbed her friend's right foot and tugged down frantically while Peter shoved on Theodore's shoulders. The three dropped like stones with a bare few seconds to spare. The cannonball whizzed past them, almost grazing Peter's trailing feet, and continued soaring down towards the volcano that was the centerpiece of the island.

"Are you okay, Theodore?" Eleanor asked. She looked at her friend worriedly and patted his arm. Theodore was trembling uncontrollably.

"Th-th-they shot at us!" he stammered unbelievingly.

"Of all the nerve!" Alvin exclaimed, finally breaking free of Nibs and Curly. He pushed his pajama sleeves up his arms and turned, stalking over the air towards the pirate ship. "I'll teach them to shoot at my brother!"

"Alvin, wait!" Simon flew in front of his brother, holding his arms out wide. "They're pirates!"

"I'm not afraid of them," Alvin proclaimed. He jerked a thumb at Peter. "He always beats them, doesn't he?"

"That's because…"

"…Peter's the best!" the twins said proudly.

Peter puffed out his chest, then draped an arm over Alvin's shoulders. "If you want to go after Old Codfish…" he started to say.

"Not now, Peter," Wendy interjected, "We're going to the fair! I thought we were going to start a band!"

"But Wendy…" Peter looked over shoulder dejectedly. He had obviously been ready to give up all thoughts of a band in favor of taunting the pirates with his new friend. But Wendy frowned at him, her hands on her hips, and he sighed. "Fine," he said. "Let's go to the fair."

"See there, Smee. One, two, three, four, five, six…It looks like that miserable Pan has definitely brought more children to this accursed place to torment me." Captain James Hook stared skyward from the deck of his ship, the Jolly Roger, watching as Peter, Wendy, the Lost Boys, and six new figures made their way across Neverland high overhead.

"Ai, Captain, and if'n they aren't tiny little ones too," Bosun Smee said, peering at the children through the wrong end of a spyglass. Growling, Hook reached out with his remaining hand and turned the glass around. Peter and his friends immediately came into crystal clear focus. "Oh, there they are. Children are growing up so quickly these days."

"Those new ones look…rather odd," Starkey said, shading his eyes to peer upwards. "There's something, eh, furry about them."

"They performed evasive maneuvers, Captain," Billy Jukes announced, wheeling Long Tom, the cannon, backwards.

"Never mind, Mr. Jukes. Ready the long boat. These new arrivals of Pan's deserve a first class welcome…at the end of me hook! Men, we're going to shore!"

The Small Monday Island Faire lived up to its name. Everything was in miniature, as the vendors were all people like Tinkerbell, fairies and gnomes and funny little dwarves. There were rides and food and tiny horses that ran exciting races around a colorful ring.

"Oh, look at these!" Brittany swooped down to a tiny stand run by a pretty little fairy in a green and yellow dress. She had an array of beautiful garlands made of strung flowers dripping with crystallized dewdrops. Brittany took one of the little circlets and placed it around her wrist, where it fit as a perfect bracelet. She held it out for her sisters to see. "Isn't it just beautiful?"

Alvin flew close to peer at the bracelet, a look of scorn on his face. He was still fuming over the near miss on Theodore. "I thought we came here to look for musical instruments, not jewelry. Besides, you've got three suitcases of jewelry back at our house. I should know—they were very heavy."

"If it's music you want, you should see Harmony," the little fairy told them helpfully. She pointed to a tent on the other side of the faire.

"Thanks." Alvin grabbed Brittany's hand and tugged her after him, ignoring the girl's protests.

Harmony was a tiny fairy, even shorter than Tinkerbell, with a pale purple dress and a white lily bell poised perkily over her chestnut-colored hair. Her blue and green wings fluttered excitedly as Peter and Wendy explained what they were planning to do and introduced the chipmunks and chipettes.

"I can help!" she exclaimed, flying up to land delicately on Simon's outstretched hand. She had a high, squeaky voice. "I love music. Listen to me sing!"

Placing a hand over her heart, the fairy began belting out a tune that could have peeled paint from walls. A pair of passing dwarves winced and covered their ears with their hands. The miniature ponies they were leading whinnied in panic and pulled at their reins.

"Th-that's very nice, Harmony!" Simon said, looking around at the pained faces of everyone within earshot. The fairy, inspired by this, sang another verse and caused two large flowers behind her tent to droop. Peter, his hands over his ears, turned to Alvin and shouted, "This is horrible! A sick peacock getting eaten by the croc would sound better than this!"

Harmony stopped singing instantly, an insulted look on her pretty face. Turning, she crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her pointed nose into the air, and sniffed. "Well, if that's how you feel…" She fluttered to her tent and began unfastening the straps that held the front open.

"No, no, no!" Alvin said, chuckling nervously and rushing forward to stop the fairy from closing up shop. He desperately wanted to see her instruments and he smiled ingratiatingly as he retied the straps. "I think what he meant was…well…that your style of music is just too…too…uh…classical for his tastes. I think Peter wants music more like this."

He hummed a few bars of a tune, then snapped his fingers three times in rhythm. Simon, Theodore, and the chipettes quickly fell into line. Crooning in harmony, they swayed back and forth as Alvin, grabbing a baton from a nearby stand, took center stage. Pretending the baton was a microphone, he sang:

"_Hearts go astray, leaving hurt when they go_

_I went away just when you needed me so,_

_Filled with regret, I come back begging you_

_Forgive, forget, where's the love we once knew_

_Open up your eyes, then you'll realize_

_Here I stand with my everlasting love!_

_Need you by my side. Girl, come be my bride,_

_You'll never be denied everlasting love,_

_From the very start, open up your heart_

_Be a lasting part of everlasting loooovvveee!"_

The denizens of Small Monday Island crowded around as the chipmunks and chipettes continued their song. Alvin flourished his "microphone" as he sang, unaware that he had selected a wand from a magician's collection. Bright red and green lights flew from the little gem affixed to the tip, fountaining upwards like the special effects used in their concerts. This was met with wild applause, especially from Harmony, who stared at Alvin with glowing, star-struck violet eyes.

"Half notes and harpsichords! That was…you're so…oh!"

"And if you think that was good, imagine what we could do with instruments." Alvin winked at the fairy, who nearly swooned. In a flash of wings, she sped back to her tent and began tossing out various musical instruments. Simon caught a pair of pan-pipes. Theodore and Eleanor each rescued a tambourine with jangling cymbals. Flutes and drums flew at the Lost Boys like cannonballs and a full-sized xylophone would have struck Brittany and Wendy if Tinkerbell hadn't thrown pixie dust over it and caused it to levitate. As the rain of instruments continued, Alvin peeked into the tent and spotted something that made him gasp with delight.

"Harmony, can I have that?" he asked, pointing to an ornate mandolin. It wasn't exactly the guitar at which Alvin excelled, but it was a stringed instrument nonetheless.

"Huh?" Harmony lifted her head from a deep trunk and followed Alvin's pointing finger to the mandolin. "Oh, eighth notes and treble clefs! Can you play it? Really? I've always wanted to hear it but it's far too big for me!" The tiny fairy flew to the mandolin and struggled to carry it to Alvin, even though it was three times her size. The chipmunk hastened to help her, taking the mandolin and plucking the strings. It took him a few minutes to get the feel of it, but soon he was playing the simple melody of _Somewhere Out There_.

Brittany sidled closer to him, humming softly and finally breaking into song. Her sweet voice blended well with the mandolin, and a look of annoyance crossed Harmony's features.

The little pixie flew between the chipette and Alvin, shoving at Brittany to widen the gap, then started to sing herself. Her voice was so shrill and pitchy that several nearby birds took flight. Alvin and Brittany were so close their eyes had started to water.

"That was…beautiful, Harmony," Wendy said diplomatically. "And thank you for all the instruments. Now we can start our own band."

The Lost Boys were collecting all the scattered instruments and rising into the air again. As the chipmunks and chipettes made to follow, Harmony flew to her tent and dusted it liberally with pixie dust. Before their startled eyes, the entire tent shrank down in size until it was no larger than a marble. Tucking it into the little pouch hanging from her waist, she flew over to Alvin and sat on his shoulder.

"Let's go," she said eagerly.

Alvin blinked and craned his head around to look at his newest, smallest fan. "You're coming too?"

"Piccolos and pitchpipes, yes! I want to hear more music!"

As they flew away from the island, Simon swooped close to Alvin. "Well, Alvin. Are you proud of yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Less than three hours in Neverland and you have managed to get your own personal pixie."

Alvin rolled his eyes back to glance at Harmony, who was clinging to his red cap as they flew. Pitching his voice just for Simon, he murmured, "Uh, yeah, not exactly what I was expecting…you have to help me convince her that I'm not Peter Pan to her Tinkerbell."

Simon glanced forward and caught Brittany looking over her shoulder at Alvin and his tiny passenger. The chipette's eyes blazed like coals.

"We'd better do it quick then…or I think Brittany will solve the problem in her own way."

"What way is that?" Alvin followed his brother's gaze and swallowed hard at the malice in Brittany's eyes. "Oh."

"Those prepubescent pests are around here somewhere, Smee." Hook swiped the sharp tip of his hook through the dense vegetation, cutting himself a clear path.

"I say, captain, d-do you hear that?" Starkey paused long enough to cup a hand around his ear. "It sounds like…like music!"

"Music?" Hook drawled. He stopped his slashing and fell silent long enough to discern what were, indeed, musical notes wafting on the air. But, unlike the classical organ music he, himself, played—much to the annoyance of his crew—this music was much faster and louder and…something he couldn't quite put his finger to.

"Faith and begora but that has a nice beat to it," Smee announced, swaying to the rhythm. He started snapping his fingers, but couldn't exactly match the rhythm. He stopped when Hook snarled at him.

"It's almost like an old sea shanty, but not quite," Mason hazarded to guess.

"Whatever it is, it is an assault to cultured ears! Find it and put a stop to it immediately!"

"But Captain, I thought we were looking for Pan and his new Lost Boys," Robert Mullins protested.

"Indeed, Mullins, but obviously anything as annoying as that so called music would have to be caused by Pan or one of his annoying followers…so it only goes to say, to those intelligent enough to understand, that if you find the source of this…this music you find Pan."

True to Hook's predictions, the pirates soon heard the laughing voices of children as they followed the musical notes through the Neverland jungle. Hook motioned for them to move silently, and crept up to a large stand of wide palm fronds. Gently, he nudged the leaves aside far enough so he and Smee could peer through at an amazing sight.

Peter Pan and all of his friends were seated in a semi circle around six strange new arrivals who looked like no children Hook had ever seen before. Indeed, they were not even human! Yet they stood in the center of the group, singing in high, yet melodic voices, while they played the instruments Hook and his men had heard on the beach. They were skilled with their instruments, but the music they played was certainly nothing Hook had ever heard during his life in England.

"_When it feels like the world is on your shoulders_

_And all the madness has got you goin crazy_

_It's time to get out_

_Step out into the street_

_Where all of the action is right there at your feet, well_

_I know a place where we can dance the whole night away_

_Underneath electric stars_

_Just come with me and we can shake the blues right away_

_You'll be doing fine once the music starts_

_Oh!_

_To the beat of the rhythm of the night_

_Dance until the morning light_

_Forget about the worries on your mind_

_You can leave them all behind,"_

One of the children was dressed in a pair of loose, drawstring pants with a red t-shirt emblazoned with a large yellow A on the front. He wore a red cap on his head and his fingers—Hook noticed that he only had three in addition to his thumb—were flying over the strings of a rather striking mandolin. He and a pretty girl dressed in a pink dressing robe were doing most of the singing.

"Captain, what in the world…!" Robert Mullins had come up beside the captain and Smee to see who or what had been causing all the noise. Now his eyes widened at the strange, but musical individuals, and he loudly exclaimed, "Devils! The animals are bewitched!"

Peter Pan turned at this outcry and caught sight of Hook peeking through the leaves. He laughed brightly. "Ah, Codfish! You've come to listen to our concert, have you?"

The element of surprise lost, Hook entered the little clearing, followed by his pirates. The Lost Boys quickly rose to their feet, pulling swords of Neverwood from their belts, but Peter waved them back.

"Indeed, Pan. We heard the…eh…music from the beach and followed it. It seems you have brought some new faces to torment me."

"You're Captain Hook!" a boy in blue pajamas exclaimed. The newcomers were all staring at him in awe.

"Ah, yes, it seems my reputation has exceeded me." Feeling inexplicably jovial from all of the attention, Hook removed his hat and perfected a low, gallant bow. "Captain James Hook, at your service. Scholar, gentleman, Englishman, and…hehehe, pirate."

"And a bit of a hothead too, if you ask me," the boy in red whispered to the girl at his side.

"You have no idea, my furry little friend," Hook said, startling the boy. "And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"I'm Alvin…and this is Simon, Theodore, Jeanette, Eleanor, and Brittany."

"And just what, pray tell, are you?"

Alvin drew himself up to his full, diminutive height. "Isn't that obvious? We're chipmunks."

"Talking chipmunks…now that is interestin'." Mason mused aloud.

"They can sing too," Michael piped up. "They're gonna teach us music and make us into a stone band!"

"That's rock band, Michael," the one called Simon corrected.

Hook let out a guffaw of laughter. "Peter Pan, a musician? Surely not!"

For the first time since Hook's arrival, Peter frowned and placed his hands on his hips. "Just what are you trying to say, Hook?"

"Well, Boy, you may be able to whistle out a ditty on those confounded pipes of yours, but you have neither the talent, nor the patience to become a real," here, Hook placed a hand on his heart, "musician." He took a step forward, raised his chin in the air, and began to sing an aria in a deep, rich baritone. His dulcet tones echoed through the forest, drawing astonished looks from the six chipmunks, who all had good ears for music.

"Not bad, Codfish," Peter admitted. "Now me!" Floating into the air, he sang a garbled rendition of "Somewhere Out There". With his horrible memory, he could not remember most of the words and simply made them up as he went along.

"_Somewhere's a bear_

_Covered with curly brown hair!"_

The chipmunks hadn't thought it was possible, but Peter's voice was worse than Harmony's, though the little fairy applauded wildly from her perch on Alvin's shoulder.

Hook laughed again cruelly and this time all his pirates joined in, tumbling out of the foliage to roll helplessly on the ground in gales of laughter. Peter's face darkened and he leaned down to pull his dagger from his ankle sheath. Theodore gasped and grabbed Eleanor's hand tightly. The little chipette was trembling.

"You dare laugh at me!" Peter cried, raising the dagger high. Hook continued to laugh, but a shrewd look gleamed in his wicked eyes. He had found a new way to torment Pan…a way that could possibly lead to his doom. Peter Pan was nothing if not proud and conceited and he couldn't stand to have anyone beat him at anything. He also couldn't turn down a challenge.

"That, Boy, was the most horrendous excuse for singing I've ever heard. Even these…rodents...sing better than you."

"Rodents!" Brittany shouted, her cheeks flushing bright pink. "I'll give you rodents!" She stalked towards the massive pirate, only to have her arms grabbed by Alvin, Jeanette, and Simon. "Why don't you say that to my face, you…you…mm hmm mm!"

Jeanette, her hand clapped firmly over sister's mouth, looked at Captain Hook and smiled weakly.

"Yes, well, as I was saying. The rodents may have a certain…talent…for singing, but no amount of skill could ever teach you, Pan. Why, that annoying crowing of yours is more melodic." His eyes roved over the original Lost Boys, who glared at him for taunting their leader. "And if you are any example, your miniscule minions will be no better."

"Oh really? And I'm sure your pirates can sing like the birdies." Peter flapped his arms and crossed his eyes. "My boys could learn to sing like the chipmunks in no time!"

"Peter," Wendy said warningly. She had a feeling this was not going to end well. Peter waved a hand at her, his eyes on the pirate.

"Is he always like this?" Simon asked of Curly, who was standing beside him. The boy nodded almost wearily.

"In fact," Peter added brightly, "I'll bet my Lost Boys could beat your pirates any day!"

Brittany had finally stopped trying to attack Hook and had, subsequently, been released by Jeanette and the boys. Now she gasped, delighted. "A battle of the bands!" she exclaimed.

Peter, though he had never heard of such a thing, nodded sagely. "Exactly. What do you say, Admiral Anchovy? Your pirates against my Lost Boys…best band wins."

Smiling inwardly, Hook turned to his rabscuttle band of buccaneers and regarded them thoughtfully. "An interesting concept…and what will be the stakes?"

Peter thought for a moment and Wendy took the opportunity to jump in. "If we win, you and your pirates have to leave Neverland forever!"

The Lost Boys cheered at the thought, but Peter was horrified. "Wendy! No! Then we'll never have any fun." He snapped his fingers. "I know! If we win, I get to be King of Neverland for a day and you and your crew have to serve as my subjects!"

The thought was clearly distasteful to Hook, but he masked it well and nodded. "Very well. And if I win, Pan, you and your Lost Boys have to promise not to fly for an entire day."

The pirates, who had been grumbling and muttering uncomfortably amongst themselves at the talk of singing, perked up at this announcement. If Pan and the boys couldn't fly for a day, they would be able to pick them off easily…and once Pan was gone, they would be able to leave Neverland for good.

"Peter, we can't!" Nibs protested. Their ability to fly was one of the only reasons they had avoided the pirates for so long. In the back of his mind, Nibs remembered when the pirates had first come to Neverland. Tinkerbell, angry at Peter for some reason, had stripped the Lost Boys of their power of flight just as Hook and the pirates stepped ashore. Nibs and Tootles had been captured and forced aboard the Jolly Roger as slaves. The resulting battle as Peter tried to rescue them had resulted in Hook losing his hand.

"Yeah, Peter, we have to fly!" the taller twin said. The shorter opened his mouth to add something, but Peter quelled them all with a look.

"I accept those terms, Hook. You train your pirates and the chipmunks will train us. We'll battle the day after tomorrow and all the inhabitants of Neverland will be our judges."

"The day after tomorrow!" Eleanor yelped. She looked at the other chipmunks in horror. Peter actually expected them to teach the Lost Boys how to be a rock band in just two days.

"But we can't stay that long," Theodore whispered to Alvin and Simon. "Dave is going to be worried."

Simon nodded in agreement. The same thought had crossed his mind. "Leave this to me," he whispered back. Stepping forward, he said, "You know, this all sounds like a lot of fun but…"

Hook moved with astonishing speed for a man his size and age. He bullied past Simon, knocking the tall chipmunk to the ground as his hooked hand flashed out, glittering in the dappled sunlight. The lethally sharp point snagged on the collar of Alvin's nightshirt. The chipmunk barely had time to gasp before he was pulled clear off his feet and held dangling in the air.

"Alvin!" Simon and Theodore shouted. Jeanette gasped and clasped her hands to her cheeks.

"Hey! Let me go!" Alvin kicked furiously and swung his fists at Hook, but the pirate held him easily at arm's length, laughing at his futile attempts.

"Let him go, Hook!" Peter lunged forward, dagger raised, but had to pull up sharply when Hook pointed the tip of his sword at Alvin's throat. The chipmunk immediately went still and chuckled nervously.

"Uh, is there any way we could…um…talk about this?" he asked, swallowing hard past the collar of his shirt, which was starting to choke him.

"Captain Hook!" Wendy said sternly. "What is the meaning of this? You put him down right now!"

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, my dear Wendy, for you see, this contest would not be very fair if master Peter were to have six teachers while my men have only the one. To even the odds a little, I believe that… Alvin …here shall come and train my men." He turned and lowered Alvin to the ground before Billy Jukes, who grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back.

"Absolutely not!" Alvin exclaimed, starting to struggle again, but Jukes drew his own dagger and pressed it against his throat.

"That's not part of the deal, Hook!" Peter growled. He started forward again, Nibs and Slightly, each armed with swords of neverwood, at his sides. Mullins, Mason, and Starkey advanced, grinning wickedly.

"I'm afraid you have no choice. Try to fight, and Mr. Jukes will kill him."

"Kill him!" Theodore squeaked.

"No!" Harmony had fallen off of Alvin's shoulder during the attack. Now she burst out of a bush and flew straight for Hook, flinging a handful of fairydust into his face. The pirate smiled witheringly.

"My dear pixie. Your magic has no effect on…" he sneezed twice in quick succession. "Blasted pixie dust!" With a snarl, he leapt forward and snatched the little pixie out of the air. Harmony uttered a strangled squeak as she was enveloped in Hook's huge hand.

"Hey! Don't hurt her!" Alvin cried. He flinched when Hook turned a cruel smile his way.

"You'll train my men, chipmunk, or this fairy will be dinner for the crocodile." To Peter, he added, "Until the day after tomorrow, Pan. Three songs each. And may the best men win, eh he he he."

As the Lost Boys, remaining chipmunks and chipettes watched helplessly, Billy Jukes handed Alvin over to Alf Mason, the strongest of the pirate crew. The burly man lifted the young chipmunk off the ground with little effort, holding his arms pinned helplessly to his sides.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Alvin continued to fight and kick to free himself, even as the pirate band turned to leave the clearing.

"Peter, do something!" Tinkerbell demanded.

"You can't just let them take Alvin!"

Peter shrugged. "Hook's right. It wouldn't be a fair contest. Besides, when we win, Hook has to be my servant, and then I'll make him set Alvin free."

Brittany watched the pirates disappearing with Alvin, her fists clenched helplessly at her sides. "So you're not going to do anything! You're just going to let the pirates take him?" The thought of Alvin held prisoner, alone on a pirate ship, tore at her heart. "No!" Whirling around, she tore after the pirates. "Wait! Wait, take me too!"

"Brittany!" Simon, Theodore, Eleanor and Jeanette hurried after the pink-clad chipette as the pirates slowed and turned to face her.

"You want a fair contest, then take me too. Alvin and I will train your pirates and the others will train Peter and the Lost Boys."

"Brittany! What are you doing!" Alvin exclaimed. Mason had tucked him under his arm like a kitten, oblivious to Alvin's fists pounding against his waist.

"It would seem that she is volunteering her talents for my team," Hook mused, looking thoughtfully at the chipette. "Very well. Even with just two, I'm still sure to win."

"But Brittany," Jeanette began. Brittany turned and enveloped her two sisters in a tight hug.

"I'll be alright. But I just couldn't let them take Alvin alone. Don't worry. You just work with Simon and Theodore and teach those Lost Boys to sing."

"We'll do our best."

"Better. You've got to win!"

Mason had finally allowed Alvin back on his feet, though he kept a firm grip on his arm. Alvin glared at Brittany when she joined the pirates and they started back through the jungle to the beach. The pirates shoved them both into the longboat and cast off into the bay, Mason and Mullins rowing. Standing in the bow before his two prisoners, Hook chuckled to himself.

"A day when Pan and the Lost Boys are forbidden to fly…oh ho, how delightful."

"But Captain, sir," Smee spoke up. "Sure and none of us can sing. How can we win?"

"You'll sing…and you'll win or I'll keelhaul the lot of you. And you two," he looked at the chipmunks seated before him, their arms crossed belligerently, "will train them well or else…" He held up Harmony, still clasped in his fist, and squeezed the little fairy until she squeaked in pain. The chipmunks gulped nervously and Alvin glared at Brittany again.

"What in the world were you thinking?"

Brittany shrugged and lowered her voice for Alvin's ears only. "I…I couldn't let you be a prisoner alone. And the way I figure it, two heads are better than one…together, we'll come up with a way to escape."

Alvin's face softened as he looked at his friend. Reaching out, he clasped her hand tightly.

"You really are Brittany the Brave."

How am I doing? Do you want to read more? I'm still working on the story and should have the next chapter out soon. Please rate.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: The song "Christian Island" is the property of musician Gordon Lightfoot. Thanks for all the great reviews. I'm working on chapter 5 now so expect it sometime soon.

Chapter 4:

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is just terrible!" Simon paced back and forth, waving his hands wildly in the air. Theodore, sniffling, turned and hugged Eleanor.

"Poor Alvin and Brittany. Who know what Captain Hook will do to them!"

"At…at least they're together," Eleanor whispered.

"Don't worry. Captain Hook won't hurt them as long as he thinks they'll train his crew to win the contest," Tinkerbell said practically. "Of course, if they don't cooperate with him, he may decide to torture them."

"Or keelhaul them," said Curly.

"Or make them…"

"…walk the plank," added the Twins.

Theodore gave a muffled squeak and hugged Eleanor tightly. A few feet away, Simon continued to pace and lament.

"Simon, things can't be as bad as they seem," Wendy said, always ready to look on the bright side. "You four are still here and you can teach us. Like Peter said, when we win, Hook will have to let Alvin and Brittany go."

"But that's just the problem!" Simon said, stopping to polish his glasses on the front of his nightshirt. "Alvin and Brittany are the leads in both of our bands. Theodore, Eleanor, Jeanette and I all play backup. Hook's got the two strongest musicians among us."

"Oh." Wendy frowned, tapping one finger against her lips. "But you still know music, right? You can still teach us…and maybe one of us will be good enough to be the lead."

"That would be me," Peter said proudly.

Simon groaned. Jeanette placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll just have to try our best, Simon. That's all we can do."

"I don't see what everyone's so upset about. It seems slightly clear to me that Alvin and Brittany aren't going to work hard to let Hook win."

Eleanor turned to Slightly, shaking her head sadly. "You don't know Alvin and Brittany like we do, Slightly. If there's one thing those two absolutely hate, it's losing at anything."

"And Hook's threatened to hurt Harmony…" said Twin One.

"…if Alvin doesn't do what he says," said the other.

"Well then," Wendy clapped her hands forcefully, "we've got our work cut out for us, don't we? So we'd better get started, for there's not a moment to lose. Simon, can you still teach us to play these instruments?"

Simon looked at the flutes, tambourines, and the xylophone. He knew how to play the piano, guitar, and saxophone. He'd never tried any of the instruments present.

"Well, um," he temporized, nervous now that all eyes were on him. It was times like this when he wanted Alvin around. Annoying as his brother could be, Alvin loved being in the limelight and never seemed to get nervous when he was the center of attention. He also had an aggravating, but sometimes useful, knack for thinking on his feet.

"We'll just have to try, Simon," Jeanette said again, her sweet voice calming him slightly.

"Yeah, we can do it." Theodore approached his brother, smiling encouragingly. "I want to try, Simon., so we can save Alvin and Brittany and Harmony."

"We'll all help you," Eleanor added, standing at Theodore's side. "And we'll show that mean old Captain Hook who's got the best band in Neverland!"

Peter, Wendy, and the Lost Boys cheered and Simon smiled, feeling better.

"Okay. Let's get started. This…is a flute."

"There, that'll keep you two from floating away." Billy Jukes fastened the last of the manacle cuffs around Alvin's wrists as the young chipmunk scowled up at him. The cuffs kept their wrists bound together with only a foot of slack. Around their left ankles, another cuff was chained to a pair of heavy cannonballs. The weight defeated the power of the pixie dust and kept the chipmunks prisoner on the deck of the Jolly Roger.

"You know, the ragged vest look went out of style sooo long ago," Brittany told Jukes. "Fashion is really behind the times on this island."

Jukes looked down at the dark blue vest he wore and gritted his teeth. "Fashion doesn't matter to a pirate. The only things that matter are fighting and the high seas."

"Now Jukes, old boy, that isn't necessarily true." Starkey was passing by and heard the last comment. "There's no rule against a fellow looking his best, especially if that fellow happens to be exceptionally handsome and debonair."

Alvin managed to hide his mocking laughter in a loud cough. When the pirates turned to him, he grinned weakly. "Uh, sorry…not used to the salt air. And are these things really necessary?" He held up his chained wrists. "They're not exactly comfortable."

"Captain's orders. He doesn't want you two songbirds to get away."

"We can't go anywhere as long as he's got Harmony," Alvin protested. Hook had locked the pixie in a bird cage in his quarters, letting his parrot, Short Tom, loose for the time being.

Brittany let out a contemptuous snort and shrugged when Alvin glared at her. "What? I'm just saying she can probably take care of herself. She is magical."

"We can't leave her, Brittany . Just because you're jealous…"

"Oh! Me? Jealous of that…that…little bug!"

Alvin raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'm not!"

"Uh huh. And that's why you risked coming to a pirate ship just to be with me…"

"Alvin, how well do you think you could swim with that thing hanging from your foot," Brittany asked sweetly.

"Fine, you're not jealous…much."

Further argument was ended by Hook, who strode out of his quarters with the cage containing Harmony. The little pixie clutched the bars and stared out miserably.

"Yes, now that you are all settled in, we can begin." The pirate placed the cage in full view, then took off his coat and handed it to Smee. When he cleared his throat, the pirates all lined up, obedient, if not enthusiastic. Alvin and Brittany studied them dubiously, wondering how in the world they could turn such a group into a rock band. When they didn't move from the crate where they were seated, Hook snarled and stormed forward. Grabbing the chain between Alvin's wrists, he yanked him rudely to his feet.

"Now!" he roared.

Alvin swayed dizzily for a second, then faced the gathered pirates. "Uh…I guess we should start by…um…finding your ranges. Let's try…" he searched the scarred and scowling faces for the one that seemed least scary and finally settled on the fat, lumpy cook. "…you."

"Me?" Cook answered with a strong accent. Alvin winced inwardly.

"Uh yeah, if you'll step forward, sir."

Unused to being called sir, Cooksun waddled forward and stood before Alvin . The massive man towered over the slight chipmunk.

"What for you want Cooksun to do?" the man asked.

"We're going to check your vocal range, Cooksun, to see what part you should sing in the band."

"But Cooksun not good for the singing."

"It's worth a try anyway," Brittany piped, coming to stand behind Alvin .

"We'll start in a scale of G," Alvin suggested. Clearing his throat, he expertly hummed a note, then sang the major scale in his high voice. By the time he was finished, Cooksun looked vaguely ill with tension.

"Relax," Alvin said confidently. "Just do what I did. Start with the first note." He sang it again and extended a hand to Cooksun, signaling him to continue. The fat man opened his mouth and uttered a sound that was half bellow, half scream, and nowhere near the note Alvin had sung. Brittany flinched, her hands flying to cover her ears.

"No, no, no!" she shouted over the noise. Cooksun stopped and looked down at her with his beady little eyes.

"Is no good?"

"No good at all! Didn't you hear him? Like this!" Raising her chin, she copied Alvin, singing in perfect pitch. She went up and down the scale twice, Alvin harmonizing on the second try. In her cage, Harmony clapped her hands enthusiastically until Hook silenced her with a glare.

"Try it again, Cooksun," the captain demanded.

Sweating profusely, Cooksun attempted to sing the scales again. This time, he managed something that sounded more like a sung note, but his pitch was dreadful. Brittany met Alvin's eyes and sighed heavily. They certainly had their work cut out for them.

"How about you?" Alvin pointed to Billy Jukes, who was trying desperately to hide behind Alf Mason. "What's your name?"

"B-B-Billy," the young man stammered, staggering forward under a shove from Hook.

"Well, Billy, try the scale as Alvin and I sang it." Brittany smiled encouragingly at the young pirate. Despite his horrible fashion sense, he was actually kind of cute, in a dark and mysterious way. When he looked at her from under his fringe of dark hair, she waved a finger in time to the beat. "One and two and three…"

Billy started to sing, but in a voice so low no one could hear him.

"What was that, Billy?" Alvin leaned forward. "Come on, belt it out!"

Billy glared at the chipmunk, but with the captain standing nearby, he didn't dare refuse. He sang again, louder this time, and relatively on key, then ducked back in line when the chipmunks nodded their approval.

One by one, the pirates were pulled forward to try the scales, their progress and skill clearly marked on the degrees of red flushing Hook's square face. His fists clenched and relaxed spasmodically, making the pirates so nervous that Bosun Smee actually broke out into a case of hiccups. Alvin and Brittany were getting tired of singing the same scales over and over and the heavy chains were starting to make their arms ache.

"Alvin," Brittany finally whispered. "They're terrible! What are we going to do?"

Alvin looked at her bleakly. Something told them both that Hook, who had gone the color of a tomato, was not going to take well to losing and probably wouldn't keep to his end of the bargain. If they didn't get the pirates to some sort of passable skill soon, they both ran the risk of facing the mad captain's wrath.

"I know!" Alvin brightened suddenly and snapped his fingers, his chains clanking. Clearing his throat, he started to sing:

"_I'm sailing down the summer wind  
I got whiskers on my chin  
And I like the mood I'm in  
As I while away the time of day  
In the lee of Christian Island  
Tall and strong she dips and reels  
I call her Silver Heels  
And she tells me how she feels  
She's a good old boat and she'll stay afloat  
Through the toughest gales and keep smilin'  
But for one more day she would like to stay  
In the lee of Christian Island_,"

Recognizing a song about the ocean, the pirates immediately perked up. Alvin repeated it once, slowly, and nodded for them to join him. Mason, Starkey, and Mullins stumbled through the unfamiliar song, but soon caught the lilting melody. Billy Jukes had the best voice for the song, but kept scrambling the words. Cooksun, with his accent, was hopeless. However, by the time they had gone through the song three times, Hook's face had returned to its normal color.

"I've never heard that song before," Brittany whispered.

"I was looking through Dave's cd collection and found it. For some reason, this one stayed with me."

"Good thing too." Brittany nodded surreptitiously towards Hook.

By now, Alvin was starting to get tired. Neither he, nor the other chipmunks had slept much the night before and a lot had happened since their arrival in Neverland. Also, speaking of Dave had given him a pang of homesickness and he wondered miserably if he would ever see his father again.

Hook was mindless of their fatigue and kept them working with the pirates for several more hours until Alvin and Brittany finally determined that Cooksun was a hopeless cause to singing, but could keep the beat relatively well by beating his meaty hand on the bottom of one of his precious cooking pots. Starkey and Billy had the best singing voices and were given the leads, with Mason, Smee, and Mullins for backup.

"Good, for now," Hook snarled. He was absently shaking the cage with Harmony inside. "You can stop…"

The two chipmunks sighed with relief, as did the pirates. But their relief turned to groans when Hook continued.

"Now you must teach them to dance."

"Dance!" they exclaimed.

"Yes! Dance! They will sing and dance as well as you by the day after tomorrow or…" A finger dragged across his throat told them everything they needed to know. Struggling against weariness, they quickly choreographed what they considered a simple dance number and performed it as best they could with their ankles dragging under the weight of the chains. Yet, simple as it was, the pirates found the steps completely mystifying.

Alvin sighed heavily, hiding his face in his hand for a moment. "Okay," he said finally. "I can see we're going to have to take this slow." Lifting his untethered foot in the air, he pointed at his toes. "This…is a foot."


	5. Chapter 5

Peter's friend, The Girl Who Lives In The Moon, had pushed the moon across the sky so night had fallen in Neverland

Peter's friend, The Girl Who Lives In The Moon, had pushed the moon across the sky so night had fallen in Neverland. After a long day, the Lost Boys finally retired to their underground house, exhausted but excited from all the chipmunks and chipettes had taught them. Simon was relieved that they had taken so easily to music, though Peter grew easily bored and had to be constantly reminded of the dire need behind all the practicing.

"I feel better now," Eleanor said, helping Wendy set out bowls for supper. "We still have a whole day to practice tomorrow and I think we have a real chance of winning."

"Me me me me!" Curly sang. "You you you you!" He had been given the role of lead vocals and was very proud of his elevated status. "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes!"

Slightly, whose long, slender fingers made him proficient in playing one of the flutes, started piping along and was quickly joined by Tootles on a small drum. They had successfully learned a couple of very simple songs.

"Very good!" Simon congratulated. "Tomorrow, we'll learn some harder numbers and dance moves."

"I wanted to go see the mermaids tomorrow," Peter said from his lounging place on one of the tree's hanging roots.

"Peter! We've got to keep practicing," Wendy told him. "How else to you expect to beat Captain Hook?"

"Hah! Hook doesn't stand a chance. I'm far too talented to be beaten by the likes of _him!_"

Simon glanced at Jeanette and rolled his eyes. Peter was starting to get on his nerves more than Alvin ever had. The eternal boy thought everything was a game and never considered the possibility that something bad could happen to him. He didn't even seem to mind the fact that Alvin, the chipmunk he had originally selected to be a Lost Boy, had been taken prisoner by Hook.

"M-maybe Peter just needs a little more practice…" Jeanette started to say. Behind her, Peter pulled in a huge breath and belted out one of the songs he'd been taught. Once again, his faulty memory had forgotten half of the words and he filled them in with lyrics of his own.

"On top of a _Yeti_!!

The color of peas

I got all itchy

And covered in fleas!"

"What!" Theodore exclaimed, looking up from the vegetables he'd been enthusiastically chopping. "Those aren't the right _mmm hmm hmm!_"

"Shh!" Nibs hissed, glancing at Peter. When the brown-clad boy continued to horribly sing, the Lost Boy let out a sigh of relief. "Sometimes, if Peter feels insulted, he gets really mad and no one can reason with him. Then you'd probably end up spending the night outside with the wild animals."

"W-w-wild animals?" Theodore glanced around nervously, thinking how much he desperately wanted to go home. He missed Dave and Alvin and Brittany; he was hungry; he wanted his own bed and his teddy bear. Neverland wasn't nearly as much fun as he thought it was going to be. Sure, the Lost Boys were nice, but he'd imagined fairies and Indians and mermaids, not giant pirates, wild animals, and singing battles. Across the cramped room, Simon noticed the look on his little brother's face and went to him.

"You okay, Theodore?" he asked, putting his arm around the younger chipmunk. Theodore gave a barely noticeable shake of his head.

"I miss Dave," he said softly, forcing Simon to strain to hear him over Peter's yodeling. "And I'm worried about Alvin and Brittany. Who knows what Captain Hook is going to do to them?"

Tinkerbell was resting in her little flower house just overhead and heard the boys talking. She sighed, hearing the longing in Theodore's voice, and fluttered down to land on his shoulder.

"Theodore, Hook _needs_ Alvin and Brittany if he's going to have any chance of winning. If he hurts them, they can't help him."

"But what if he hurts them to _make_ them help? What if he…if he _tortures_ them?"

Jeanette and Eleanor exchanged unhappy looks.

"I…I'm sure they'll be okay, Theodore," Simon said in a falsely cheerful voice. "I mean, when has Alvin ever really been beaten? Even that time when Dr. Frankenstein turned him into a monster…"

"…but he only changed back because we made that potion," Theodore protested. "We're not there to help him now."

Peter had finally stopped singing, just in time to hear Theodore's last statement. He floated down to the floor.

"I'll tell you what, Tink and I will fly out to the Jolly Roger and check on them."

"Now!" Tinkerbell exclaimed.

"Sure. It'll be a great adventure."

"Why don't you just help them escape?" Eleanor wanted to know. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about them anymore."

Peter looked scandalized. "But that's against the rules of the contest. Hook gets them to teach his pirates and I get you. If they escaped, it wouldn't be fair."

"Right," Simon said sarcastically, "We wouldn't want to be unfair against the blood-thirsty pirates."

"But Peter, it's late," Tinkerbell complained. "And dark. I hate going out after dark. All the owls seem to think I look delicious."

"Come on, Tink. It'll be fun. And we'll get to spy on the pirates too!"

"And I suppose you think _that's_ fair? Simon asked sarcastically.

Peter shrugged and grabbed Tinkerbell in his hand. "We'll be back soon."

"Oh," Wendy fretted. "I don't like the boys going out after dark. The night air could give him a cold."

Simon and the others could think of worse things that could happen to Peter, but wisely kept them to themselves.

"I think, now that Peter's gone, we should practice one more time," Eleanor suggested.

Simon removed his glasses and carefully polished them. "My thoughts exactly." Standing, he clapped his hands together briskly. "Alright, boys, once more, from the top!"

"Yeah, yeah! Now you've got it!" Alvin and Brittany had finally convinced Hook to release them from their fetters so they could teach the pirates the dance steps they would need for the contest. Now Alvin, with Mullins, Mason, Cooksun and Smee behind him, was going through a complicated set of steps and the pirates were finally catching on. There were still a couple of missteps and the pirates weren't nearly as graceful as the agile young chipmunk, but they actually looked like a dance troupe now.

A few yards away, Brittany was working with Starkey and Billy Jukes, or rather, she was dancing with Jukes while Starkey watched. The youngest pirate was clumsy and kept stepping on Brittany's toes, but she smiled gamely and spoke words of encouragement.

"Good, now right foot forwa—ow! No, that was your left foot. Right foot forward, three steps to the—oof! Left!"

"Oh for crying out loud, man! Like this!" Starkey stepped in, grabbed Brittany by the hand, and spun her around with a flourish. Together, they went through the steps in perfect unison and Brittany couldn't hold back a giggle as the pirate dipped her.

"_That_ is how you dance with a young lady, Jukes," Starkey said, staring into Brittany's blue eyes. "A beautiful young lady."

Brittany blushed and stammered, "Oh, well…uh…"

"Oh Brittany!" Alvin sang out pointedly. Brittany glanced up to see all the pirates looking at her. Alvin was glaring, his hands on his hips, as she struggled to right herself and giggled again.

"Sorry."

"Right. Maybe we should work on the full number, with the song." Marching across the deck, Alvin grabbed Brittany by the hand and pulled her away from Starkey. "Everybody take your places!" To Brittany, he said, "Need I remind you that these are _pirates!_ And they're holding us prisoner."

Brittany shrugged and apologized, but inwardly smiled. Was Alvin jealous?

The pirates queued up for the dance, grumbling a little at the late hour. Alvin strummed the strings of the mandolin and frowned thoughtfully. Going over to the cage holding Harmony, he whispered something to the pixie, who nodded enthusiastically. She reached into her own belt pouch and tossed a generous handful of pixie dust over the young chipmunk. Standing nearby, Hook angrily reached for Alvin, expecting him to try flying away, but Harmony's spell was different. Alvin didn't fly, but when he strummed the mandolin, the musical notes flew from the strings in bright flashes of light trailing white trails of sparks. The notes sounded much more like the guitars Alvin was used to and he shouted happily, jumping back to the center of the Jolly Roger's deck and playing the opening chords of the song Do You Love Me.

High above, clinging to the mast, Peter and Tinkerbell watched as the two chipmunks put the pirates through their paces again. Though the crew of the Jolly Roger was no where near as talented as the chipmunks, they were able to follow the complex dance steps well enough. Jukes was the singer, though the young gunner was shy of his voice and wouldn't sing loud enough to be heard over Alvin's mandolin and the clomping of boots on the deck.

"Odds bong hammer and tongs! Jukes!" Hook suddenly bellowed, slamming his fist so hard against a barrel that Harmon's cage wobbled and clattered to the deck. The pirates all froze and Alvin and Brittany, not used to hearing such rage, shrank away from the captain. Brittany clutched at Alvin, who unconsciously put an arm around her shoulders.

"Dave yells my name at least three times a day at home," he whispered to her, "but never like that." He suddenly spotted Harmony's cage rolling around on the deck. The little sprite was dazed from her fall, her tiny arms reaching plaintively through the bars. Alvin hurried to pick up the cage as Hook loudly berated Jukes for his lackluster performance.

"Thanks, Alvin …I knew _you_ would help me," Harmony said, her eyes shining. She kissed Alvin's fingers through the bars. Left alone, Brittany hmphed loudly and rolled her eyes. Alvin ducked his head awkwardly, not sure what to say in the face of the pixie's admiration and Brittany's jealousy. Then he realized that now would be the perfect time to escape. Hook was holding the attention of the crew and he had Harmony. He glanced at Brittany, clearing his throat meaningfully and raising his eyebrows to indicate that they should fly away.

At first, Brittany ignored him, turning away and crossing her arms over her chest. Desperate, Alvin stomped on her foot and pointedly jerked his head upwards when she spun on him, outraged.

"Unless you'd rather stay here," he whispered sarcastically, flicking his gaze to Hook, who had Billy Jukes suspended on the end of his hook, flopping back and forth like a fish.

Shaking her head, Brittany tried to lift into the air, but her feet stayed fastened to the deck. Alvin frowned worriedly and gave a small jump of his own. Instead of soaring into the air, he thumped back onto the deck.

"Harmony!" he hissed. "What's going on?"

"Pixie dust wears off quickly when you're new to Neverland. Here!" The pixie tossed another handful of dust on the pair. "Happy thoughts, hurry!"

Alvin pictured himself at the Grammy awards, accepting five of the little trophies at one time and almost instantly started lifting off the ship. Clutching Harmony's cage tightly, he rose higher and higher…

"Whoa!" A hand gripped his ankle, yanking him roughly downward. He crashed against the deck, woozily looking up into the sneering face of Alf Mason.

"Don't even think about it, cully," the pirate said, laughing. In his other hand, he held a struggling Brittany by the collar of her nightgown.

"Put me down you thick-headed cretin!" she yelled, kicking and punching at the burly pirate.

"And what have we here, Mason?" Hook had released Jukes and was now looking their way. Grinning, Mason lifted Alvin by his foot and dangled the chipmunk upside down over the hard planking of the deck.

"Hey!" Alvin complained, struggling not to drop Harmony as the pirate swung him back and forth like a pendulum. "Let me go! Watch out!" He squeezed his eyes shut as the apex of his arch brought his face perilously close to a barrel. "You big, fat, stupid—ow!" His red cap did little to protect him from the planking as Alf deliberately bumped his head against the deck.

"So, it would seem my guests have decided they would rather not partake of the hospitality of the Jolly Roger any longer." Hook stomped up to Alvin, his huge black boots filling the frightened chipmunk's vision, and reached down to take Harmony's cage.

"No!" Alvin wrapped his arms around the cage, holding on as tight as he could, but was forced to loosen his grasp when Alf threatened to dunk him into the water. Harmony gave a little cry of despair when Hook took possession of her again. When the pirate raised the cage to laugh at the pixie, she thrust her fist through the bars and batted him on the nose.

"Smee, since our instructors can't be trusted not to fly away, see that they are duly chained again."

"Oh, aye aye, Cap'n!" Smee saluted sharply, nearly poking himself in the eye as he did, and hurried to fetch the chains. He dragged them across the deck to Mason, who held out Alvin's bare foot for the manacle cuff.

"Oh no you don't!" Still upside down, Alvin reached up and grabbed Smee's short pants by the waistband and yanked them down. Smee gasped and blushed as his nether end was presented to the captain and other pirates behind him. He reached for his dropped drawers, the chains falling from his hands and landing on Mason's outstretched foot.

"Yeow!" The large pirate released both chipmunks, grabbing for his bruised foot and hopping wildly around the deck. Free, Alvin and Brittany both soared upwards, out of reach of the pirates.

"That's it, Mason, you dancing fool!" Alvin shouted down mockingly. He and Brittany laughed as Mason's crazed leaping brought him crashing into Mullins and Starkey, who fell backwards into Smee, who still hadn't managed to pull his pants fully up. Hook, standing slightly apart, watched with growing rage, his face changing rapidly from red to purple.

"Ciao, Captain Codfish!" Brittany blew Hook a kiss and flew a loop over his head. She grabbed Alvin's hand, preparing to fly away from the Jolly Roger and back to the underground house, but was jerked to a stop when Alvin didn't follow. "Alvin, come on…" She turned and threw up her hands in despair. Alvin was floating in midair, his eyes latched on Hook, who had pulled Harmony from her cage and held the pixie clenched in his fist. Grinning cruelly at the chipmunks, he tweezed one of the pixie's wings between his thumb and forefinger delicately and started to pull. Harmony uttered a high, thin scream of pain.

"Surrender now, or…" Hook didn't even bother to finish the sentence. The agony on Harmony's face was explanation enough. Alvin bit his lip, looking from Brittany to the pirates and back again.

"No! Alvin, come on…she's magical. She can take care of herself!"

Alvin shook his head. "I can't just leave her, Brittany. He's pulling her wings off!" Knowing he was risking the chipette's wrath, Alvin swooped down to the Jolly Roger and landed a few feet away from Hook. Mullins leapt forward and grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back even though the chipmunk put up no struggle.

"Fine! Stay then!" Brittany shouted from overhead. She spun and darted through the air, ready to leave Alvin to his fate, then slowed and turned around. She just couldn't bring herself to leave him, no matter how angry she was. "Oh!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot in the air. She swooped down to the Jolly Roger, landing beside Alvin, whose face lit up at her reappearance.

"You owe me," she growled, then snapped at Mason when he grabbed her arm, "And watch the fabric, Mister! This is my favorite nightgown!"

High up against the mast, Peter slowly thrust his dagger back into his boot and glared at Tinkerbell.

"I could have done something, Tink. Now Hook's got all three of them again."

"If you had gone down there, Peter, Hook would have hurt Harmony…maybe even killed her! Do you have any idea what a fairy's death would do to Neverland?"

Peter shrugged. "No. What?"

"Every time a fairy dies, Neverland will be struck by a massive earth shake. It could destroy everything!"

Peter's eyes widened. "How come you never told me this before?"

The pixie rolled her eyes. "As if you'd remember anything so important. Anyway, it's never been an issue before. We fairies usually stay clear of Hook and his men. If Harmony hadn't fallen for Alvin … This isn't good, Peter."

"Well, Hook won't hurt her as long as Alvin and Brittany do what he says…and when I win the battle of the bands, Hook will have to let them all go anyway," Peter said nonchalantly. Tinkerbell shook her head, worried, and looked down at the scene below on the deck.

Hook was finally putting a sobbing Harmony back in her cage while Alvin and Brittany, both held down again by the heavy ball and chains, glared at him.

"Well, since Mr. Jukes has proven himself to be of less than admirable singing potential, I have decided that you will have to suffice as my main singers." The pirate turned to his captives, smiling maliciously. "As such, I couldn't very well allow you to fly away, now could I?"

Alvin started. "That's against the rules! We're supposed to teach the pirates to sing and dance…not perform ourselves!"

Hook chuckled. "Unfortunately for Pan and his wretched Lost Boys, no such rule was ever established, allowing me to…eh he he…_tweak_ the game to my favor."

"We won't do it!" Brittany declared.

Hook strode over to the chipette and tilted her chin upwards with a finger. "My dear, if you refuse, the crocodile will be picking fairy wings from her teeth by sunset."

Brittany shrugged. "So?"

"Brittany!"

Alvin's outburst did nothing to sway the stubborn chipette, but Hook smiled toothily.

"I see…the fate of the fairy means nothing to you. Then what about the safety of your diminutive, crimson-clad companion?" The captain snapped his fingers to Mullins, who flipped Alvin upside down again and held him over the railing.

"Hey!" Alvin shouted, looking down into the rippling water with horror. He was a strong swimmer, but not with an iron ball chained to his ankle. His cap slipped from his head and he snatched for it, then froze when a loud ticking noise cut the air. "Oh no!"

The rippling water churned and foamed and bubbled beneath the suspended chipmunk. A long, spiny snout lifted from beneath the waves, a gaping maw lined with razor teeth. Two beady yellow eyes stared upwards eagerly.

"Crocodile! Crocodile!" Alvin yelled. "Pull me up! _Please!_"

The huge crocodilian surged upwards from the water, roaring. The massive teeth snapped shut just a foot beneath the cap clutched in Alvin's outstretched hand. He _eeped_ and clapped his arms tight against his chest, hugging the cap as the crocodile dropped back into the water. The resulting splash erupted upwards like a reversed waterfall, soaking Alvin to the skin. He coughed and spluttered, then screamed again when the crocodile tried her luck a second time.

Brittany shrieked and dove at Captain Hook, beating him with her fists. "No! No, please!" she cried. "I'll do whatever you want. Just let him go!"

"No, _don't_ let me go!"

"Mr. Mullins…"

Mullins looked slightly disappointed as he pulled Alvin back over the rail, dropping him unceremoniously onto the deck.

"Ow!" Alvin rubbed his bruised backside and scowled up at the scarred pirate. "Why you stupid, bow-legged…"

"Belay that talk, Matey." Billy Jukes came up behind Alvin and pulled him to his feet. He tugged the cap from his hands and plopped it back onto Alvin's head, releasing a second, smaller deluge of salt water. "Less you wanna get scuppered and sold for a scarf."

The sun was just beginning to rise over the island and Hook finally decided to give his crew a chance to rest. Holding tight to Harmony's cage, he ordered Jukes to see that Alvin and Brittany were safely stowed away in the brig.

"Rest well, my melodious little rodents. There is still much work to do."

Peter watched until the two chipmunks were locked away, then launched himself off the ship and soared back towards Neverland.

"So, Hook's decided to bend the rules a little, eh? Well, _two_ can play at that game!"

okay, that's all I have finished so far. I am still writing chapter six, so the next installment may take a little longer, but I am really heartened by the great reviews and will definitely keep it up


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, here it is. Chapter 6. That you all for the great reviews and the honor of being added to your favorites lists. No greater compliment than that. I have finally decided how I want this to end, so keep an eye out for future installments and please, please, please keep reviewing!**

Chapter 6:

Peter's announcement of the sudden change in rules was not accepted gracefully

Peter's announcement of the sudden change in rules was not accepted gracefully. The Lost Boys, having heard Alvin and Brittany singing, were disheartened by the fact that they'd have to compete with them. Simon, Theodore, Eleanor and Jeanette hated the idea of battling against their own siblings, especially the two renown for their singing skills.

"Well," Jeanette said after the initial grumbling, "we'll just have to try _that_ much harder, won't we? We can't give up…Alvin and Brittany are _counting_ on us to win."

"Poor Alvin," Eleanor murmured. She shuddered at the thought of the crocodile. "That must have been terrible."

"That croc's no joke. This one time I had to lure it into a cave to chase off Hook and the pirates all by myself. It was slightly frightening."

"Only slightly?" Simon asked with the sarcasm he usually saved for his brother.

Slightly shrugged and gave him a lopsided grin. "Maybe more than slightly."

"At least this means you can sing with us," John Darling piped up. "It'll be four chipmunks against two. We can be your backup dancers!" He started doing a crazy little jig in the middle of the floor. Laughing, Michael and Tootles joined in, grabbing John's hands and dancing in a circle around Simon, who couldn't help but smile. Picking up on the mood, Curly started piping on one of the flutes, followed by Peter, who could at least carry a tune on his own set of reed pipes.

"They're not even worried about Alvin or Brittany," Theodore whispered, upset by the lack of concern the Lost Boys were showing. "Don't they care that Captain Hook could hurt them?"

"I think," Simon began, removing his glasses and polishing them on his pajama shirt yet again, "they're so used to Peter always beating Captain Hook that they think of each new obstacle as little more than a new adventure for their hero to overcome. They don't think Peter can lose at anything."

"So what do we do?"

Eleanor stood up, crossing her pudgy arms resolutely. "We prove them right," she declared. "We sing, we dance…and we win! Now, here's what we're going to do…"

The brig was a cold, dank, windowless room below decks. It was empty save for a small wooden bench and a bucket. The door was solid wood with a tiny, barred opening so a guard could look in on the prisoners. After a few moments of incarceration, Alvin and Brittany gave up trying to escape and sat beside one another on the bench. Silence reigned between them, broken only by the rhythmic creaking of the timbers and the gentle splashing of water lapping against the hull.

Brittany was shivering with cold and shock. She sniffled and, when Alvin put an arm around her, leaned close to him, resting her head on his damp shoulder before remembering that she was still angry. In a huff, she sat up and shoved at him, hard enough to knock him off the bench.

"What was that for?" Alvin demanded, sprawled on the floor and tangled in his chains.

"_You_ know," she replied shortly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I do?" He sounded truly perplexed.

"Yes. You do. Or you _should_."

Alvin frowned. "Is this about Harmony? You're not still jealous, are you?"

Brittany sniffed and spun on the bench, putting her back to Alvin.

"Aw, come on, Brittany. Don't be like that. Harmony is…is…well, she's just a fan!"

"I've seen you flirt with fans before, Alvin."

"You're one to talk! And sure, maybe I've flirted…but have I ever taken any of _them_ to the Valentine's Day Ball? Have I ever tried to get them a record deal by climbing the Matterhorn? Have I ever lugged three _hundred_ tons of luggage upstairs for them? No! But I did for you."

Brittany turned slightly. "I…I guess you did."

"That's right! And that's because you're my friend. Why, after Simon and Theodore and Dave, you're my _best_ friend."

The chipette snorted. "I should at least get billing over Dave. He's a grown-up."

"He gives me my allowance."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Alvin…you don't _really_ like her, do you?"

"I like her…but not like I like you."

"Oh…" Brittany smiled, then realized that Alvin was still on the floor, looking up at her. He held up a hand pointedly and she quickly stooped to help him up, dusting him off ruefully. "I'm sorry, Alvin. I…I should have know better. We may fight, but you've always stuck by me, haven't you? Like that time you thought you'd turned me into a zombie…you wouldn't give up trying to cure me."

Alvin scowled a little as he remembered. He had accidentally caused an explosion in Simon's basement lab and had been terrified to think he had hurt Brittany. She had used his concern as a way to weasel herself an invitation to the Black and White Ball. The few days when she had made him believe she was a zombie had been absolutely torturous.

"Of course, you still stink at playing monopoly and if it weren't for you, I'd be nice and warm in bed right now…"

"Hey, nobody _made_ you come!"

"Oh sure, and you, Simon, and Theodore came into our room just to show off and say goodbye, right? Face it, Alvin, you _wanted _me to come! And then you…you and Harmony…she…"

Alvin gaped for a moment, completely speechless as he realized that Brittany was trembling, not with cold, but with withheld tears. In an instant, all his annoyance and frustration drained away and he sat beside her on the bench and pulled her into a hug.

"Harmony may be magical, but she doesn't compare to you, Brittany. If it weren't for you, that crocodile would be picking my cap out of her teeth by now."

Brittany gave a wild little laugh that turned into a sob and turned to bury her face against Alvin. They sat silently for awhile, cuddled together on the slimy bench for warmth and comfort. Finally, Brittany's sobs slowed and exhaustion claimed them both. As the sun rose fully on their first official day in Neverland, Brittany and Alvin succumbed to sleep.

"Right there is Slightly Gulch. It was once Crocodile Canyon, but Slightly changed it when he got the Never Scroll. Mr. Mullins took it from him and gave it to Captain Hook. Peter nearly _died_ when Hook started erasing Neverland. Oh, and over there is where we had our play. We did Romeo and Juliet. Have you ever heard of it?"

Tootles finally stopped his seemingly endless chatter and turned back, eyebrows raised in question. Jeanette, who'd been grinning ruefully at Simon, quickly nodded.

"Yes. It's a famous play. How did you learn about it?"

Tootles smiled brightly. "Captain Hook. He and his pirates were part of the play too. We had a truce…well, sort of. Hook still tried to poison Wendy."

Simon started uneasily. _That_ was a wonderful bit of information. How could they trust the pirate not to hurt Alvin or Brittany when he'd already shown he couldn't be trusted during a so-called truce? And to poison _Wendy?_ Of all people?

Jeanette noticed the slightly ill look on Simon's face and patted his arm gently. To get Tootles onto a different subject, she pointed to a small wisp of smoke rising over the trees.

"Oh, there, is that it?"

Tootles turned and nodded. "Yes, that's the Indian encampment!"

He, Simon, Jeanette and Curly were traveling along the western edge of Neverland, heading for the small peninsula that held the teepees of the Indian tribe. They needed judges for their battle of the bands and Peter had immediately thought of Chief Great Big Little Panther, Tiger Lily, and Hard-to-Hit, as well as the mermaids and the fair folk of Small Monday Island. Rather than allow the entire troupe waste precious time on visits, Eleanor had suggested they split up.

Of course, Jeanette had decided to go with Simon, which meant that her little shadow, Tootles, came as well. Curly had flown on ahead to warn the Indians about the chipmunks, but Tootles had chosen to walk so he could regale Jeanette with the wonders of Neverland and tales of their heroic Lost Boy adventures. That was all very well for Simon, who didn't think he could have worked up a happy thought to fly anyway. His stomach was still full of knots.

Curly suddenly came swooping back over the trees, waving enthusiastically. Beneath him ran two small figures, a girl and a boy. The boy was about their own age, maybe just a little older, bare-chested, his short black hair held back with a green band. The girl was…striking.

"Simon, Jeanette…this is Princess Tiger Lily and Hard-To-Hit." Curly landed before them and grinned broadly. "Tiger Lily, Hard-To-Hit, this is Simon and Jeanette. See, I _told_ you!"

Hard-To-Hit gaped at them. Coming forward, he stalked around Simon and Jeanette, inspecting them closely. He even grabbed Simon's glasses off his face and looked through the thick lenses, blinking owlishly.

"Hard-To-Hit, give those back!" his sister demanded imperiously. She swiped the glasses from the boy and gave them back to Simon with a little smile. She was tall and slender, her long black hair pulled back from her face in a tight braid and Jeanette nudged Simon when she caught him staring.

"They really _are_ chipmunks! And they can talk?"

"Uh, yes, we can," Simon stammered.

"And they can _sing_ too!" Tootles added proudly. "They're great! You should just hear them!"

Before Hard-To-Hit or Tiger Lily could ask them to perform an impromptu concert, Simon launched into the tale of their dilemma. They didn't look at all surprised at Hook's treachery or Peter's apparent lack of concern for Alvin and Brittany's safety. Obviously, they, too, knew the Eternal Boy only too well. Hard-To-Hit looked excited at the thought of a battle, even if it was only one waged with song and dance. His sister, luckily, was more level-headed and seemed to understand exactly what part Simon wanted them to play.

"Come on then. We'll introduce you to our father."

Taking charge, Tiger Lily led them up a small hill to the Indian camp, which sat on a flat, brown plateau above the water. Numerous teepees ringed the land, interspersed with cooking fires. By the largest fire stood a very impressive man with chiseled features and a stern gaze. He watched their approach expressionlessly and listened as his daughter explained the situation. Finally, he gave a single nod.

"So, you will battle the pirates with the only weapon you have: music. You really think you can teach them to sing?" He looked at Tootles and Curly, who smiled a little sheepishly.

"It's not them we're worried about," Jeanette said. "It's Alvin and Brittany."

"And Peter," Simon admitted. "I'm sure he won't be willing to play backup to us, but there's no way he could defeat Alvin and Brittany in a singing contest with his voice—even if the Lost Boys did the judging."

Great Big Little Panther nodded again, sagely. "You are wise, young chipmunk. And I think you will work out exactly how to deal with Peter."

The Lost Boys and the two Indian children looked confused, but Simon cocked his head and grinned, heartened by the shaman's regard.

"We do have a plan…but first, we need judges for our contest," he said.

The shaman stared at him expressionlessly for a long time before breaking out in a faint smile. "We will accept. I would know more about this Rock and Roll."

Theodore and Eleanor had gone with Peter, Slightly, and Nibs on a mission to recruit the mermaids for judges. Though Theodore was still a little daunted by Peter and more than a little ready to go back home already, Eleanor was dying to see the mermaids and her enthusiasm was infectious.

They had to fly fast, because Peter wouldn't wait for anyone once he got an idea for an adventure in his head. Slightly and Nibs were used to this, but Theodore found it difficult to keep up. His chubby body created some kind of wind resistance and he was having a hard time keeping Alvin and Brittany's plight out of his thoughts. As a result, he kept sinking lower and lower until Eleanor screamed his name.

With a start, he realized that a large tree was snaking a vine through the air towards him. Before he could flee, it looped around his ankle, dragging him quickly towards the main trunk, where other vines rapidly started to flow around his plump body.

"Help me!" he cried, clawing at the leafy green bindings. To his vast horror, he saw that the vines were pulling him towards a cavity in the trunk, where a slimy orange substance oozed like drool. The tree was going to _eat_ him!

"I'm here, Theodore!" Eleanor was suddenly at his side, grabbing one of the larger tendrils and wrenching it off him. It immediately coiled around her arm, sensing more prey. The blonde chipmunk screamed and batted at it, only to have her other arm caught and held.

Fear for Eleanor overcoming his own terror, Theodore attacked the tree with the only free weapon he had, his teeth. He bit down hard on the main vine wrapped around his torso, his chipmunk teeth cutting through easily. The wounded vine snapped back, giving him leverage to reach for his friend.

Then, he was dropping, plummeting through the air at a sickening speed. Forgetting all about pixie dust and happy thoughts, he stared at the ground rushing up to meet him...

With a bone-numbing jerk, his downward plunge abruptly stopped. Something dug painfully into his chubby belly, driving all the breath from him. The ground receded as he began to rise again.

"I'm slightly sorry about that, Theodore. I must have cut through the main branch." Slightly struggled to fly upwards, how arms wrapped around Theodore's middle.

"Th-that's alright. Eleanor!" Theodore gasped, looking desperately for Eleanor.. He spotted her struggling still against the vines, Peter and Nibs slashing valiantly with their swords of Neverwood. The tree was desperately fighting back, sending a new tendril to wrap around Eleanor as soon as the pried one off.

"This is a strong one!" Nibs shouted, hacking at it with his wooden sword.

"Well, it won't get the better of us!" Peter crowed exuberantly and slashed with his little dagger.

With a cry, Theodore once again joined the fray, grabbing for the vines and pulling with all his might. The oozing maw of the tree was looming closer and closer…

In a fit of desperation, Theodore threw one of the severed vines into the muck, which immediately surged over it hungrily. So occupied, the tree loosened its hold on Eleanor slightly, allowing the four boys to pry her free. By the time the evil plant realized its mistake, they were out of reach and soaring towards the lagoon.

"Well, that was slightly exciting!"

Eleanor grasped Theodore's hand as they flew, smiling brightly at him. Theodore smiled back and zoomed ahead, leaving a startled Peter, Nibs and Slightly behind.

The two chipmunks beat the boys to the lagoon and were standing on a rocky outcrop, gazing around with wide eyes when the other three arrived. About half a dozen mermaids were sunning themselves on the rocks scattered throughout the sheltered lagoon. They were immensely beautiful, with the lovely faces and long hair of young girls, and slender bodies transitioning smoothly to tapered fish tales. Their rainbow hued scales glistened in the sparkling light as the mermaids swished those tails back and forth lazily while combing their fingers through their hair or teased tiny fish.

The tranquil scene was shattered when Peter launched himself skyward and let loose one of his ear-splitting crows. The mermaids all looked up, gasps of delight replacing the startled looks on their pretty faces.

"Peter!" they cried in unison. Two dove off their rocks and swam closer, smiling radiantly and waving over the rippling waves. Those smiles froze, then vanished all together when they spotted Eleanor standing beside Theodore.

"And just who is she?" a little blonde asked, frowning petulantly.

Peter, basking in their simultaneous adoration, glanced down as though confused. "Oh, that's just Eleanor. You girls want to hear something? Listen to this!"

Landing on a rock, he puffed out his chest and bellowed his version of _Somewhere Out There_ at the top of his lungs. Theodore and Eleanor winced, but the mermaids clapped enthusiastically.

"That was _wonderful!_" one bubbled. Eleanor nudged Theodore and rolled her eyes, disgusted.

"Wonderful! I've heard seagulls with prettier voices than that!" a rough, mocking voice exclaimed. Slightly, Nibs, and the chipmunks all turned to find a hideously ugly woman bobbing in the water beside their rock. Her skin was sallow, her hair straggly, and she had numerous large warts decorating her face. She cackled as Peter looked at her sullenly.

"Well, what would _you_ know of good singing, Crooked Tail?" he asked.

"Yeah?" the mermaids all echoed.

Crooked Tail grinned, showing mismatched teeth. "I know a songbird from a sea lion, boy. What in the world inspired you to make that noise?"

Peter smiled again. "We're going to have a battle of the bands against Hook and his pirates!" Before his mostly adoring audience, he launched into an elaborate version of their story, waxing poetic as the pretty mermaids gasped and clasped their hands in awe. When he got to the point where Hook had kidnapped Alvin and Brittany, Crooked Tail interrupted:

"And you just let that Codfish make off with two of your new friends?"

Peter shrugged. "He had a good point. The contest wouldn't have been fair otherwise. And I am nothing if not fair."

"Oh, that's true!" a stunning redhead murmured. Nibs sidled closer to her, smiling, but she scowled at the boy and splashed a wave of salt water over his comely face. While he sputtered, the other mermaids laughed rather maliciously.

"That wasn't very nice," Eleanor protested.

The mermaids huffed and one swung her arm back, sending a wave towards Eleanor. She jumped skyward, barely missing a soaking. The water hit Slightly, who was standing behind her, instead.

"Hey!" he squawked, holding up the tails of his sopping vest. "That's slightly cold!"

"Two can play at that game!" Eleanor ripped a large palm frond from a tree and flew down close so she could fill it with water. Catching on, Theodore hurried to help her carry this make-shift bucket over the mermaid. Peter's eyes widened in shock.

"No! Don't!"

Eleanor released her deluge. The mermaid shrieked and dove back into the water, swimming away. Her sisters, insulted, followed.

"Wait, girls! Don't leave! I…I need you to be judges for me!"

Crooked Tail laughed loudly as Eleanor and Theodore joined Nibs and Slightly again. Slapping her misshapen tail in the water, she clapped for Eleanor. "Excellent, fuzzy girl. You gave them just what they deserved! And stop sulking, Peter. Those brainless tarts couldn't have been judges anyway—they're completely biased. If you want, I'll judge for you. Will you two be teaching him how to sing?"

Eleanor and Theodore glanced knowingly at one another, then both nodded and the sea witch laughed again.

"You've sure got your work cut out for you! Haha! Yes, I definitely want to be a judge. _This_ should be interesting."


End file.
